City mums averse to breastfeeding

 Only about a half of newborns in the state's urban areas, including Mumbai, are breastfed within the first hour of birth, according to a study released by the government on Monday. Out of 1,346 mothers surveyed in urban areas, over 94% said they had registered for institutional delivery (childbirth in hospitals) and also gone in for at least three antenatal care visits (ANCs). 

    Expressing concern at the findings, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said, "The low percentage of breastfeeding within an hour of birth, even as (most urban) mothers are having institutional delivery, suggests that private nursing homes are not encouraging breastfeeding enough." 
    Chavan asked if nursing homes were encouraging complementary feeding. Indeed, as per the survey, bottle-feeding and early complementary feeding is on the rise, especially in urban areas. 
    Including rural areas, a total of 2,694 mothers with children under two years of age were surveyed. It was found that the breastfeeding percentage in rural areas was better, with 68% of 1,348 rural mothers surveyed saying they had breastfed their infants within an hour of birth. 
    The findings were not encouraging even in the category of exclusive breastfeeding of infants in their first six months, with only 49% of women in urban areas and 63.5% of women in rural areas responding in the affirmative. 
    The only solace was that the state average for breastfeeding within an hour of delivery has increased since 2005-06, when it was 52% (as per the National Family Health Survey). 
    Uncief studies have shown that breastfeeding in the initial hours of birth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months is the best form of immunity for a newborn and can arrest malnutrition and prevent neonatal deaths. 
    National coordinator for the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) Dr JP Dadhich said a lack of awareness about breastfeeding among mothers and caregivers could be contributing significantly to neonatal mortality. "Breastfeeding within the first hour makes a child more immune and healthy to fight infection, which happens to be the biggest killer of infants in the country. There is a need to counsel mothers as well as medical professionals about the advantages of a quick initiation into the practice." 
    Inputs by Sumitra Deb Roy