Sukmaya Tamang, a resident of Marin Rural Municipality-1, breastfed her 18-month old daughter in a separate room at the District Administration Office (DAO) in Sindhuli.

“My younger sister and I were standing in a line carrying my daughter in turns. The baby started crying because she was hungry but I wasn’t feeling comfortable to breastfeed her in front of others,” Tamang said.

Her sister then looked for a quieter place for Tamang to sit and breastfeed her baby. That’s when she found the room designated for new mothers for breastfeeding.

Tamang had come to the DAO to acquire her citizenship and couldn’t leave her baby at home, she told the Post.

In a rare show of understanding and solidarity with nursing mothers, the DAO at Marin has managed to set a precedent for other government and private offices to follow. The DAO opened a lactation room for new mothers and their babies on May 19.

Assistant Chief District Officer (CDO) Bijaya Prasain said, “The breastfeeding room was set up keeping in mind the challenges nursing mothers and their babies face, especially in government offices where service seekers come in hordes.”

The room has been arranged in a bid to materialise the government’s policy of making public offices service seeker-friendly, she added. Five to six nursing mothers use the breastfeeding room on a daily basis at the DAO.

According to Prasain, the DAO also plans to set up a child-friendly room.