Baby and mother should not be separated to promote breastfeeding: Health Ministry

Mothers should not be separated from their new born babies to encourage breastfeeding, said Health deputy director-general (Public Health) Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman.

He hoped that private hospitals would be more involved in promoting the benefit of breastfeeding towards new mothers.

Currently, only 15 out of 175 private hospitals in the country place newborn babies together with the mother, he added.

He debunked the myth that some mothers could not breastfeed their children because there was no milk.

"Scientifically, it is not true because if the suckling started as soon as the baby is born, it automatically stimulates the milk production," he said during the World Breastfeeding Week at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) here Saturday.

He expressed the need for new mothers to have a basic understanding on the importance of breastfeeding.