Nagpur: World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is celebrated every year from August 1 to 7 to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. In a world filled with inequality, crises and poverty, breastfeeding is the foundation of lifelong good health for babies and mothers.
With the objective to inform people about the links between good nutrition, food security, poverty reduction and breastfeeding, to anchor breastfeeding the foundation of life, to engage with individuals and organization for greater impact, to galvanize action to advance breastfeeding as a part of good nutrition, food security and poverty reduction. WBW has announced “Breastfeeding foundation of life” as the slogan of World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), 2018.
Breastfeeding prevents hunger and malnutrition in all its forms and ensures food security of babies, even in times of crises. However there is need of education across county in terms of breastfeeding.
“When it comes to breastfeeding, the rural and urban India appears two side of a coin. Where mothers in urban region tends to breastfeeds their babies for 1 year approximately, when you compare the figures with working mothers, it will plunge to 6 months. Which ultimately effects health of a newborn. However rural women tends to breastfeed their infant for around 2 year, need to educate themselves as all they listen to their elders and not of doctors” told Shweta Rangari, paediatrician while speaking to Nagpur Today.
She also discussed the reason of lactation failure and added, “From late marriages, high prevalence of thyroid , to irregular diet are the key deception when it comes to lactation failure. Notably women are getting married between 27 and 35 which resulting in hormonal imbalance. Along with this irregular diet and junk food are the major reasons for lactation failure.”
However NT did the reality check by visiting several mothers at city’s slum area as well as the woman living in the urban parts of the city.
NT visited slums at Motibagh, Ravibagh, Tajbagh, Ravi Nagar areas and tired to get an insight of the levels of awareness regarding breastfeeding among the women.
“I breastfeed my daughter till the age of 2. There is no scepticism that mother’s milk is best for infants. I don’t know ideal reason behind it however my mother used to tell us. In the 3 years my child has not taken any medicine, and with no uncertainty I can say it is due to proper breastfeeding,” said Shaheed Khan (28) mother of a 3 year old girl.
Zareen Sheik, a woman at Motibagh said that she is a mother of 5 children and except one all were born in the house. “I never felt the need of hospital. No doctor or nurse has told me about the advantages of mother’s milk, but it is very obvious and natural to understand richness of the mother’s milk.” “I think urban women are very conscious about their figure, which untimely relived them of breastfeeding within a year” she added.
Rashi Chandra (32), working with private firm told, “I breastfeeded my child for six months. I used to be busy in office work. I started giving him bottle milk after 3 months as well along with light food like pulses. It really hard to maintain the balanced between professional and personal life”
Shubham Nagdeve
