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Current Affairs

How can Hong Kong help mothers of infants reverse falling breastfeeding rate?

For Hongkonger Annyee Chan, the decision to stop breastfeeding her son at eight months was a pragmatic response to a city that often feels at…

By Samantha Johnson / May 23, 2026

For Hongkonger Annyee Chan, the decision to stop breastfeeding her son at eight months was a pragmatic response to a city that often feels at odds with the needs of nursing mothers.

Returning to work just one month after childbirth, the self-employed wealth management professional faced a gruelling logistical challenge, navigating a city with sparse nursing facilities while lugging heavy pumps, bottles and coolers on her daily commute.

“I managed to breastfeed my child quite well, and I persisted because I knew this was good for both mother and baby … but things got challenging when I returned to work and needed to meet clients,” she recalled.

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“What I did was pump milk in the staff rooms of my friends’ restaurants, leave it in a cooler bag, store it there and retrieve it after I finished work.”

The logistical hassle was constant, as she sometimes forgot equipment or left milk behind while struggling to find a clean, unoccupied nursing room.

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These recurring obstacles nearly led her to stop breastfeeding in the third month, but she pushed herself to continue until eight months for the benefit of her now one-year-old son, Branley.

“Hong Kong’s environment is quite discouraging for breastfeeding,” she said.

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