TO STUDY THE DETERMINANTS, KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF INITIATION OF BREAST-FEEDING PRACTICES AMONGST MOTHERS DELIVERED AT OUR TERTIARY CARE CENTRE

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. However, contrary to WHO recommendations, fewer than half of infants under 6 months old are exclusively breastfed.1 Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses. Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a childs nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one third during the second year of life.1Early breastfeeding is defined as the initiation of breastfeeding within 24 hours of birth. While the benefits of breastfeeding have been known for decades, only recently has the role of time to initiation of breastfeeding in neonatal mortality and morbidity been assessed. Objective: To review the evidence for early breastfeeding initiation practices and to estimate the association between timing and neonatal outcomes. Results: The mean age was 35 years and mean time to initiate breast feeds was 1 hour. Significantly more time for initiation of breast feeding was seen with Pre term VD and LSCS breech. . No significant difference in the mean time based on the gravida Hence as the complications increase in severity, the mean time for initiation of breast feeding also increases.The questionnaire was prepared for knowledge , attitude and breast feeding practices in post natal care unit in our Sassoon General Hospital, Pune. Conclusion: We evaluated the knowledge of 300 mothers in Post natal care unit ward about breast feeding basics. This study demonstrates that early breastfeeding initiation is a simple intervention that has the potential to significantly improve neonatal outcomes and should be universally recommended. The9 mechanism by which early initiation of breastfeeding reduces neonatal deaths is unclear, although the most likely pathway is by decreasing severe illnesses leading to sepsis. This study explores the effect of breastfeeding initiation time on early newborn danger signs and severe illness.