Bollywood actress Dia Mirza, who just became a mother had come out candid on the difficulties of breastfeeding in public. The actress stated that new moms had a ‘lack of safe spaces’ to breastfeed their infants and added that public feeding ‘triggers shame and judgment.’
In May, the actress and her husband, Vaibhav Rekhi, welcomed their first child, Avyaan. Dia Mirza stated earlier that he was delivered ‘through an emergency C-section’.
Dia stated in an interview with Mid-Day on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week: ‘I have become more acutely aware of the lack of safe spaces for new mothers, especially if they are socially and economically marginalised. Why have we never [highlighted] how hard it is for underserved mothers to feed their babies on construction sites, farms and roadside stalls without any privacy?’
‘In Belgium, breastfeeding in public is protected by law, but in India, we need to bring about a systematic shift in societal attitude. Feeding a child should be considered a natural act, but it triggers so much shame and judgment when done in public,’ she said.
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Dia also mentioned that the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding just for the first six months of a child’s life. Those not breastfed are ‘six to 10 times more likely to die in the [early months].’
‘It should worry us that India continues to have one of the highest rates of malnutrition and infant mortality,’ she added.
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