A new mother I know had no option but to look for the nearest washroom to breastfeed her son after he started crying in the middle of a shopping mall. Once inside the toilet, several women stared at her while she nursed her baby.
Many women feel uncomfortable in public situations when breastfeeding. Because of the conservative nature of the society, breastfeeding is rarely seen in public places, such as shopping malls and restaurants, and those who do, usually cover up to avoid being stared at.
But despite that, these women are not left alone. As The National reported at the weekend, even though there is no law preventing women from nursing in public, women are often shunned by strangers, may be asked to relocate and are forced to breastfeed in unpleasant environments, like public toilets. One woman told the paper that despite using a nursing cover, she was asked to stop breastfeeding while dining at a local Chinese restaurant in Dubai.
This is an issue affecting all mothers. Discomfort about public breastfeeding could be a significant barrier and, in extreme cases, could prevent women from leaving the house.
Some mothers will resort to formula milk to avoid nursing in public, especially in the case of newborns who tend to get hungry more often than older babies.
New mothers need support. The more mothers are seen breastfeeding the more others would be encouraged to take the practice. Noura Al Khoori, a volunteer with La Leche League, an international breastfeeding support group with an active branch in Abu Dhabi, told me that public breastfeeding should be totally normal.
“Mothers can cover up and do it anywhere, even at a restaurant table or sitting in the middle of the park. This has an awareness advantage because by her nursing ‘out there’, the mother is normalising breastfeeding to everyone.”
For those who don’t feel comfortable nursing in public, popular public places, such as restaurants and shopping malls, would do well to provide spaces to breastfeed.
Society must understand that breastfeeding is a very natural part of being a mother and of having a baby and that it’s normal that babies don’t have a system for timing their meal times. When a baby shows signs that it is hungry, a mother stops and responds immediately by nursing.
Every segment of UAE society has its own opinion on breastfeeding. The Emirati culture, for instance, respects and honours breastfeeding as long as it's done in a discreet way. The benefits of breastfeeding were even recognised by the Federal National Council, when it proposed a clause, as part of their new Child Rights Law, requiring new mothers to breastfeed their babies for two full years.
While we can’t force mothers to breastfeed, we can encourage them to do so by making our communities more breastfeeding friendly.
For that to happen, we need to establish minimum criteria for achieving and maintaining breastfeeding friendly status in public places, particularly shopping malls and restaurants.
Big shopping centres in Dubai already have these facilities and that, according to the women I know, attracts mothers to visit and spend some time in these malls. For other public places to follow, perhaps a new rule is needed to require them to have breastfeeding facilities.
Mothers need all the support of their family, community and society at large to feel comfortable breastfeeding without any obstacle. Whether they want a private room or to breastfeed while covered up in public, they should have the option.
aalmazrouei@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @AyeshaAlmazroui
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
more from Janine di Giovanni
Specs
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
THE SPECS
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Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
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Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
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On sale: this week
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”