Better for mother and baby

(Baonghean) -Since May 1, 2013, the new Labor Code has taken effect. Accordingly, the maternity leave for female workers is 6 months, instead of 4 months as before... This policy has entered life and received consensus and welcome from the people, because it not only creates favorable conditions for pregnant women to fulfill their motherhood, but more importantly, gives children the opportunity to be cared for and develop more comprehensively.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Ha Huy Tap Ward, Vinh City, welcomed this new policy with great excitement. She was happy not for herself but for the mothers who will give birth soon. Ms. Ngoc said: I gave birth at the end of last year, so I only had 4 months off. After my maternity leave, even though my baby was still weak, I still tried to go to work. The difficulty was that my baby refused to drink from a bottle while I worked far away, and I couldn't come home at noon. Therefore, every morning before going to work, I had to express milk and put it in a bottle for my grandmother to feed me, and every afternoon, Ms. Ngoc had to express milk into a bottle to keep in the refrigerator to bring home for her baby.

After working for more than a month, her child vomited a lot, developed a digestive disease and had to go to the hospital for examination and treatment. Because she loved her child, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc decided to take unpaid leave to stay home to take care of her child... Ms. Ngoc confided: Children who are fully breastfed have enough nutrients and increase their resistance. The new Labor Code, when effective, will create conditions for newborns to be healthier. I have two children already, giving birth to a second child is not within the time frame of the Law but I am still very happy.

Pregnancy check-up at the Provincial Center for Reproductive Health Care. Photo: Tu Thanh

Being present at the Obstetrics Department, Provincial General Hospital these days, one can feel the excitement of mothers who have just given birth or are about to give birth. The provisions of this Law have become a hot topic of discussion between women and their families. When asked, almost everyone clearly understands - female workers are entitled to 6 months of maternity leave before and after giving birth; female workers who have maternity leave after May 1, 2013 are entitled to 6 months of maternity leave according to the Law on Social Insurance. Ms. Tran Thi Binh, who has just given birth, is still tired but cannot hide her bright smile: Giving birth now with 6 months of maternity leave, I feel very comfortable, but 4 months of leave like before was very difficult. Mothers taking 6 months of leave has many benefits, first of all, the baby is stronger, can eat solid food, and the mother also has time to recover her health. For every mother raising a child, an extra month of leave is very precious.

Sharing the joy with the sisters, Dr. Pham Sy Hung, Head of Obstetrics Department, Nghe An General Hospital analyzed: The longer the maternity leave, the better it is for the mother's health and the child's development. Because in the early stages of life, the child's body is very immature, especially the immune system, and the absorption of nutrients is still weak, so it really needs the mother's care. In Vietnam today, the rate of women breastfeeding is very low and is decreasing; the Labor Code has increased maternity leave, which means at the same time encouraging women to breastfeed, both helping to reduce illness in children and increasing the bond between mother and child. Women who are given 6 months off when giving birth will certainly create conditions to improve public health, improve physical condition as well as the quality of human resources. The State's new regulation on 6 months of maternity leave is completely medically appropriate, very good for mothers.

According to the World Health Organization, teaching new mothers how to breastfeed can help save 1.3 million children each year and recommends that mothers breastfeed their babies for the first 6 months. Thus, increasing maternity leave for female workers is a very humane policy, in line with the general trend of the world and creating conditions for children to have the opportunity to develop comprehensively. This also shows that the legal policies in our country are increasingly closer to real life.

Thanh Chung