For working mothers in Jakarta, breast milk couriers are known as the “saviors”, helping keep babies healthy while mother’s are in the office.
Amanda Ramdariani, 26, was thankful when she discovered this service existed as she wanted to give her baby exclusive breast-feeding for six months but also needed to work.
“I used the breast milk courier service when my baby was five months old because I could not provide enough breast milk for my baby at home while I was doing my job,” the mother of a 1-year-old daughter said.
She said her breast-milk shortage was caused by the decreasing production of her breast milk by up to 50 percent while her daughter’s appetite remained high.
Amanda said her baby needed at least six 100 milliliter-bottles of breast milk every day, while she could only produce four bottles.
“To ensure my baby was exclusively breast-fed for six months, I had to deliver the milk I pumped at the office to home,” she said.
“But my office was far from home, it was impossible to get it there in time myself.”
The courier usually came to pick up the bottles at her office in Palmerah, West Jakarta, around lunch time and directly delivered the bottles to her house in Bintaro, South Jakarta.
She used the courier service almost every day for two months and paid Rp 30,000 (US$ 3.5) per trip.
Fitria Adiatri is another mother who has used the breast milk courier several times.
“As a breast-milk donor the service has been a huge help to me,” she said.
She added that she had used the courier service four times to deliver the milk for the children of her cousins and friends who could not produce breast milk.
Breast milk couriers have been around since last year to answer the needs of working mothers who want to breast feed amid hectic lifestyles.
Medical research shows that babies who are breast-fed exclusively for six months are more resistant to diseases and allergies such as diarrhea, obesity and diabetes, as it helps form a stronger immune system.
During that period, babies’ nutritional requirements are fulfilled for the baby’s development, including its brain.
Fikri Nauval, the owner of breast milk courier service Arga Nirwana Express, said his own experience inspired him to set up the business.
“My wife, a working mother, couldn’t give exclusive breast-feeding to my first and second children due to her job.
“As I had a courier service business, I thought why not just set up a breast milk courier service so she could keep giving our third child breast milk,” he said.
Fikri then established a breast milk courier service division at his cargo company in 2010.
Now, he employs five men for the specialized task.
The couriers are equipped with a cooler box that fits four bottles and ice packs. Each courier delivers the bottles to three to five addresses a day.
Customers in Jakarta pay Rp 30,000 and those in Bogor Rp 45,000 for one trip.
“The number of customers who use our service is increasing each month. But I think the number is still small compared to the total breast-feeding working mothers in Jakarta,” he said.
Chairwoman of the Indonesian Breast-feeding Mothers’ Association (AIMI) Mia Sutanto expected that the emergence of breast milk couriers could encourage more working mothers to exclusively breast feed their babies for six months.
“But it is vital that the milk is stored properly so it does not spill or get contaminated,” she said.
According to the 2010 Basic Health Research, the rate of breast-feeding nationwide was recorded at 15.3 percent among babies younger than 12 months.
The 2009 Health Law stipulates that every baby has the right to be breast-fed exclusively for six months.
