The Corona Virus has taken away millions including mothers to babies and toddlers who were still being breastfed. As a result, these babies are starving and are being synthetically fed for their nutrition.
Over 872 people have succumbed to the second wave of corona in this month alone in Assam, of which 296 were in Guwahati.
In a phenomenally thoughtful move, the mother of a two-month-old girl, Ronita Krishna Sharma Rekhi has decided to breastfeed newborns who have lost their mothers to coronavirus or those who can’t feed the child as they are in isolation due to the disease in her native city – Guwahati. She has also urged other lactating mothers to join the cause.
Ronita is basically a Mumbai-based celebrity and production manager. She came to Guwahati for the birth of her child – Alaya who was born on March 10.
“Only for Guwahati as I live here. If any new born needs breast milk I’m here to help,” Ronita shared on her handle.
She was inspired to take the step after she saw a social media appeal for mother’s milk for a Delhi-based woman who was in isolation after being infected with COVID.
So far, Ronita has received only one request from a mother.
“This is the least I can do at this time. When I see our country has all come up to help one another in different ways I thought as a nursing mother maybe I can help someone like this. I want nursing mothers in the country to come together at this hour for any child who needs mother’s milk,” she told LifeBeyondNumbers.
“In my heart I want every newborn child to be with their mother in their comfort and care. I wouldn’t want any child to lose their mother to this pandemic or get affected by the virus. Every newborn must get their mother’s milk. I want this pandemic to get over so every pregnant woman and new mother can enjoy their pregnancy and their motherhood without worrying about their children,” the mother cum celebrity manager added.
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Ronita has been amplifying her message on various social media platforms. Many have appreciated her thoughtfulness and mothers like her have been inspired. Also, her husband is a stern supporter of Ronita’s cause.
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“What I thought as a small initiative has actually now been inspiring a lot of new mothers and has also been appreciated,” she says.
A pregnant woman lactates for six months after the birth of her child and produces milk surplus to her own child’s requirement if she has a single child. This factor has led many nursing mothers to donate their milk that is stored in milk banks and provided to babies who have scarcity out of one reason or other. Yet in India, such milk banks are scanty and the number of babies needing the milk is higher.