I know about breastfeeding from my mother, I think. I think everything in Thailand may be in like tradition, in my country. Like learn from a relative or something like that, like that. Mother and may be I in my career, I am pharmacist in my country, I like as a health professional, so I think breastfeeding is very better than the other food for my children.
You talked about the hill-tribes?
Yes.
And the women there not having very good food?
Yes.
But they still breastfeed?
Yes in my country, traditional in my country, I think it different from British because British is like the high education, high in education, high income no breastfeeding, but in my country it is low income, low education go to breastfeed because in my country may be, may be, a lot like expensive like the powder of milk and like the, because, it is if expensive may be in low income have a problem to buy it, but in my country as well, and everything, like the advertisement in the television about the bottle of milk about the, like the a lot, if you go to my country you can see a lot of the, like the powder of milk for children, a lot.
You see it advertised a lot…
Yes a lot.
…on television.
And you have like a promotion if you health professional like me and like my husband. You can have like free of bottle milk and free of powder of milk to try, to try, two or three bottle.
Free samples.
Yes free sample, it's good, it's good for.
What do you think about that?
At first I didn't think, I don't think anything when I didn't have like pregnant but after that I pregnant and I try to like the breastfeeding, I didn't like to get it, collect it to my house, I think it's like the nature, it's easy way, it is not like the pay for or buy it, is a free, it's good, but I think it's have a like a struck in my opinion in my attention to breastfeeding, if I have a bottle in front of me, I think this is easy and everybody in my house, is very, this is easy, make my son grow like breastmilk right, I think it is a problem if I have, if I have it in my house.
When you said you tried to do what was normal, do you mean you tried to bring your baby up like a western person would, rather than traditional Thai methods?
Yes, because in my country if the baby just born you should to stay in the home, long, and one month and you should keep warm in your body and the baby like the, like you use to hold him with the blanket.
So you wrap him and keep him warm.
Yes, wrap him and keep him warm in here is like the freedom and take him in the sleeping suit or something like that, in my county no, you should to like hold him and wrap him with the blanket and something like that and you should to wear the hat and wear the glove, everything for him, to like the warm, keep warm all day, all night, or something like that and his mother as well, you should to like hold hat, with a sock or something like that.
So mother and baby are kept very warm?
Very warm.
And they stay at home for one month?
Yes, at least one month, it is better if two or three months and in my country if you, after delivery, you didn't go to take a bath, one month.
For one month, no bath for one month?
One month no bath no shampoo for one month, this is old tradition, but I didn't believe it because I think it's very dirty because my son should expose with like the clean like the clean surrounding, like take a bath like everything, everything in surrounding but no have the dirty surrounding right and in my country very, very hot, I think it is not proper to do that, I think you should do the shampoo you should take a bath when you think you have dirty because my baby has to like the, suck breastmilk, because breast you should like the sterile.
Sterile?
Yes keep it clean and something.
What about when you go out, do you take the breastfeeding baby with you?
In my country?
Well both. Tell me about your country and tell me about what you do here.
Okay. I in my country very strange because I come back to Thailand last year and I try to like the breastfeed in like a department store in my country and my baby is eight months but everybody see me like strange, why you don't use like bottle because your baby is big, baby is like something like I think may be and, my husband like to tell me that everybody see you [laughs] and I like I think I feeling later, like a so strange like alien or something like that [laughs] but I think but I think it's good for my son no problem but I think about that no problem.
So do you think people were disapproving of you feeding in public?
Yes, because in my country women very shy if you like that put the breast out of the like the shirt or something like that and like get the baby, at first you should to cover up right I think you have problem because very shy in and no have like a section for breastfeeding.
Did anyone say anything to you?
No! No.
But your husband was embarrassed?
Yes! Yes because he feeling like because I go to like the cafeteria at the department store and I said and my son like that he really hungry and I hold him and take him in my breast yes everybody pass me and feel sometimes I feeling like he she talk women she talk together or something like that but I didn't heard but I know that she talk something together but I know it's no problem.
What about in Britain? Have you breastfeed in public in Britain?
Yes.
Any problem?
Mmm no. I didn't I think it's no because I go to London with my little son and I take breastfeed out outside but it's very cold [laughs] there is only one problem it's very cold for me [laughs] because I should like the [laughs] access with cold weather [laughs] I think it's very cold for me this is one problem but ignore like a strange feeling, like the area in my country is no hot in here.
So you don't have places to breastfeed in public in your country?
Yes, is very no have I think no have. If you go to hospital is no have at all. When except you go to like a breastfeeding clinic you can. You have like the room for breastfeeding everybody is breastfeeding but in the public no have no have at all. |
