Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers

Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers or BSIM is a Facebook group that is popular for providing peer support for breastfeeding in India. With over 100,000 members as of 2019, the online community is managed by a team comprising over 45 volunteers, mothers, and certified lactation consultants. The group has been widely recognized for its efforts in breastfeeding promotion, dispelling popular myths in Indian society around lactation and encouraging public nursing which is generally considered taboo in urban India.

Core beliefs
The community is built around a set of foundational beliefs:


 * Following WHO recommendations on breastfeeding.
 * Avoid solids and water in the first six months.
 * Breastfeeding is the natural way to feed and nourish the baby

Achievements

 * In March 2019, the group's founder, Adhunika Prakash, was recognized as a 'Web Wonder Women' by the Ministry for Women and Child Development for leading the group to raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding and the various policies that need to change in the country to enable and protect breastfeeding.
 * In 2019, Prakash was selected as one of the top five Community Leaders in residence by Facebook, and the group was selected to receive $100,000 to fund community-building initiatives.