Volunteers at Helping Hand Foundation educating mothers on the health benefits of breastfeeding. | Photo Credit:
The Helping Hand Foundation, a city-based NGO, has established ‘Lactating Management Centres’ tailored to support mothers and their newborns. The primary objective is to offer mothers privacy while feeding babies during treatment visits and to foster community-level promotion of breastfeeding, enabling mothers to sustain lactation for extended periods.
Operating 15 primary care centres, HHF serves a catchment area spanning over 100 urban slums, with an annual patient footfall exceeding five lakh. Over 75% of these patients are women, a significant portion being young mothers with newborns. In a collaborative effort with partners like Child Aid International (Canada) and AMPI USA (a group of Indian-origin physicians based in the USA), HHF has set up five Lactating Management Centres in key areas like Khyamnagar, Rajendranagar, Shaheenagar, Wadi e Mustafa, and Pahadisharif.
These centres not only provide dedicated and hygienic spaces but also serve as platforms for educating mothers on the health benefits of breastfeeding. Recognising the critical role nutrition plays in lactation, Mujtaba Hasan Askari highlighted the centres’ role in improving lactation through proper nutrition. Each lactation room is equipped with amenities like comfortable seating, refreshments, linen, diapers, posters, and lactation pumps. Trained lactation counsellors offer guidance on breastfeeding benefits, techniques, and provide support to mothers facing lactation challenges. These counsellors maintain records of breastfeeding sessions and monitor the health of both babies and mothers.
