Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers

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Social media group

Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers or BSIM is a Facebook group that is popular for providing peer support for breastfeeding in India. With over 100,000 members as of 2019, the online community is managed by a team comprising over 45 volunteers, mothers, and certified lactation consultants.[1][2] The group has been widely recognized for its efforts in breastfeeding promotion, dispelling popular myths in Indian society around lactation and encouraging public nursing which is generally considered taboo in urban India.[3][citation needed]

## Core beliefs

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The community is built around a set of foundational beliefs:[4]

* Following WHO recommendations on breastfeeding.[5]
* Avoid solids and water in the first six months.
* Breastfeeding is the natural way to feed and nourish the baby [6]

## Achievements

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* In March 2019, the group's founder, Adhunika Prakash, was recognized as a 'Web Wonder Women' by the Ministry for Women and Child Development for leading the group to raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding and the various policies that need to change in the country to enable and protect breastfeeding.[7]
* In 2019, Prakash was selected as one of the top five Community Leaders in residence by Facebook, and the group was selected to receive $100,000 to fund community-building initiatives.[1][8][9]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Breastfeeding Indian Mums Get Unique Support From Dedicated Facebook Network". Outlook India. 18 June 2019.
2. ^ "Busting breastfeeding myths among new mothers". Deccan Chronicle. 7 August 2017. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
3. ^ Safi, Michael (2018-03-01). "Kerala magazine challenges India's breastfeeding taboo". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
4. ^ "A mother-to-mother support". The Hindu. 3 August 2016.
5. ^ "Breastfeeding". www.who.int. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
6. ^ "Breastfeeding is more than nutrition, it is a parenting tool". Times of India. 5 August 2015.
7. ^ "Smt. Maneka Gandhi felicitates 'Web Wonder Women'". Press Information Bureau. 6 March 2019.
8. ^ "Meet the Indian mothers selected Facebook's community leaders". The Week. 5 October 2018.
9. ^ "The MBA who is helping Indian women breastfeed". The Print. 30 September 2018.

## External links

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* Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers Facebook Group