GANGTOK, July 8: A large number of women of Sikkim are heaving a sigh of relief as they are now able to breastfeed their babies in the comfort of a clean, secure private space in crowded public places, thanks to an effort of the state government.
The Women, Child, Senior Citizens & Persons with Disabilities Welfare and Development Department has set up six breastfeeding pods at large markets in five of the total six districts in the Himalayan state, and plans to establish similar facilities in the remaining one.
Another pod, operated by the Gangtok district administration, is functional in the state capital.
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The latest pod, installed by the department, was inaugurated at Pakyong Bazar (market) in the headquarters town in Pakyong district on July 3, in the presence of a number of women who came to see the facility.
“Now, such pods are operational in Gangtok, Mangan, Namchi, Soreng, Rangpo and Pakyong towns. We will set up another breastfeeding pod in the headquarters of Gyalshing district,” the department’s Joint Director Pema Lhamu told PTI.
Breastfeeding pods are innovative, private spaces designed to support nursing mothers in public areas and workplaces. These facilities provide them with a comfortable and secure environment to breastfeed, express milk, or simply take a break.
This is in sharp contrast with the earlier times when lactating mothers needed to take refuge in places like narrow by-lanes or public toilets to feed their babies.
The administration also has plans to install more pods in all district headquarters and sub-divisional towns in the state in the coming days, Lhamu said.
The department’s joint director shared a pivotal moment that sparked the initiative in Sikkim.
“We had a report from a market in Mangan district where a lady was using bottled milk to feed her child. When asked by a senior department official why she was using bottled milk, she replied that it was awkward and embarrassing to feed babies in public. This interaction led us to start working on addressing this issue in 2024,” the official said.
The department has plans to install more breastfeeding pods in all district headquarters and subdivision towns within the state in the coming days, Lhamu said.
She also said that breastfeeding rooms are also operational in all district hospitals, besides a pod at Old STNM Hospital in the state capital Gangtok.
“There are also specialised nurses known as Breast Feeding Angels in all district hospitals and STNM Hospital where these nurses specifically cater to lactating mothers. We plan to take it further with similar initiatives in primary health centres and dispensaries across the state,” said the joint director.
Besides the pods run by the Women, Child, Senior Citizens & Persons with Disabilities Welfare and Development Department, one is operated by the district administration in MG Marg, where the famous Gangtok Mall is located and thronged by both locals and tourists.
This breastfeeding pod was funded by the CSR arm of a pharmaceutical company.
“We had come for an outing with family at MG Marg last week, and my six-month-old baby needed to be fed. It was an embarrassing situation. My cousin told me about a pod for moms. We went to that in Old STNM Hospital near MG Marg. It was so clean and comfortable,” Lhaden Doma, a resident of Gangtok, said, thanking the government.
Along with this pod, there are two others in the vicinity of MG Marg for locals as well as tourists to use the facilities.
Roshni Tamang, a mother of two children, including a four-month-old baby, said that she is a hawker in Pakyong market and the new pod came as a boon for lactating mothers like her.
“The pod is near the hawkers’ market. Two more mothers like me run stalls there, and we are using this facility daily. The convenience it has provided us is commendable,” she told PTI.
Women in Sikkim are actively involved in running shops and businesses.
Kanchen Gurung, an elderly woman of Singtam in Gangtok district, welcomed the initiative.
“In our time, we did not have such places. Babies needed to be fed, and we either used to go between buildings or to public toilets. This is what moving with time means,” said Gurung, a grandmother of nine. (PTI)
