Breast Feeding Practices In Mother’s Of (Urban) Bangalore.
V Dharmendar, V Narendranath, S B L
Citation
V Dharmendar, V Narendranath, S B L. Breast Feeding Practices In Mother’s Of (Urban) Bangalore.. The Internet Journal of Pediatrics and Neonatology. 2012 Volume 14 Number 1.
Abstract
Objectives: To examine different types of breast feeding behavior among urban mothers To find out the extent of practice of exclusive breastfeeding by urban mothers. To study the additional aspect of breast feeding, interval between feeds and relationships of breast feeding with literacy, age and parity of the mother. To study the time of initiation of breast feeding after the delivery. To find out weaning practices and type of weaning feeds /complimentary feeding practices prevalent among urban mothers
This is a cross sectional study on breast feeding initiation and feeding practice was carried out from Sept to Nov 2009 (2months) at clinical practice in urban Bangalore. An oral questionnaire was prepared containing questions of various types of breast feeding practices, and interviewed the mothers of infant below one year who attended the pediatric clinic. A sample of 50 women were interviewed, delayed initiation of breast feeding, rejection of colostrum and use of prelactel feeds are still prevalent among urban mothers of Bangalore. Bottle feeding is still prevalent in the urban mothers and even commercial weaning feeds are used widely by many urban mothers.
Introduction
This is a cross sectional study on breast feeding initiation and feeding practice was carried out from Sept to Nov 2009 (2months) at clinical practice in urban Bangalore. An oral questionnaire was prepared containing questions of various types of breast feeding practices, and interviewed the mothers of infant below one year who attended the pediatric clinic.
Patients and Methods and Observations
A total of 50 mothers who are having children below the age of 1years were interviewed between the month of Sept and Nov 2009 with the questionnaire. In the study the mothers were between the age group of 18—30 years of age. All the mothers were educated. 52% (26) of them were primi, 40% (20) were para2 and 8 %( 4) of them were para3. All children in the study were delivered at hospital. About 70% (35) were delivered normally and 30% (15) by LSCS. All most all mothers had attended regular Antenatal care and had knowledge of breast feeding. 48% (24) of babies were male and 52% (26) of them were female at the time of this study. 44 %( 22) of the babies were 5-8 month old, 42 %( 21) 9-12month and 14%(7) of them were in the age group of 0-4month. 88%(44) of the babies weighed 6-10kgs and 12%(6) them were of 0-5kgs. 80%(40) of mothers initiated breast feeding within 1-3 hrs after delivery,8%(4) of them initiated breast feeding after 4-6hrs after delivery, 2% (1) after 7-9hrs of delivery and 8% (4) of them initiated breast feeding after 12hrs of delivery. Only 24%(12) of them were giving bottle feeding, and the remaining 76%(38)did not use bottle feeding. Exclusive breast feeding was given for 5-8 months in 50%(25)of babies,46%(24) upto the age of 1—4month, and only 2%(1) of them continued EBM up to 9-12month. 64%(32) started weaning feeds at the age of 5-8months, 24%(12) at the age of 1-4months. About 12%(6) were at the age of 2-3month and are yet to start weaning. 54%(27) of the mothers introduced Cerelac as weaning feed, 20%(10)of them used Ragi, 10%(5) of the mothers used Nan2 as weaning feed and only 2%(1) of the mothers used Nestum as weaning food.
Figure 1
Discussion
In the present study all the mothers were in age group of 18 to 30 years and educated. 78%(36) of them were house wives and 24%(12) of them were employed as compared with study conducted by Naheed Praveen et al1 in which 55% were house wives and 45% were working. Mothers were multiparour, among them para-1 were 52%(26), para -2 were -40%(20), para3 were-8%(4) , as compared A A Kumareswararao et al2 in which 40% were para 1, 31% were para 2 and 16% were para3. In the present study all the deliveries took place in the hospitals/ Institutions, only few about 14%(7) of them had post natal complication . Weights of babies were ranging from 3kgs -10kgs and the age distribution of the babies were between 2mo -12mo of the age. 48% of babies were Males and remaining 52% were females. About 76% (38) of the mothers gave breast milk and 22% (11) of them gave sugar water and only 2% (1) gave cow’s milk as first feed in the present study. In comparison with the study by A Gupta et al3 2% feed breast milk, 55 gave sugar water, and 90% gave honey as first feed. In present study we saw 80% (40) of the mothers started breast feeding with in 1to 3 hrs after the delivery ,10%(5) of them started with in 4to 6 hrs after delivery and 10%(5) of within 7to 72 hrs after delivery as compared with the study by Banapurmath et al4 6.2% breast feed was started with in 4hrs , 29% feed by 24hrs, 64% breast feed by 24hrs,64% breast feed by 48hrs ,90% breast feed by 72hrs after the delivery. Exclusive breast feeding was practiced by 48%(24) for up to 4months of age, 50%(25) for up to 8m of age and only 2% (10) of them practiced up to the age of 12mo of age. In the present study 16%(6) of babies fed less than 6months of the age , 56%(28) of them feed up to 9months and 28%(14) feed up to 12 months of the age as compared with study by Naheed Praveen et al1 9.82 % (28) less than 6months, 24.9% (71) at 12 month of age and in the study conducted by Banapurmath et al4 continued breast feeding rate was 97% at 1 year of age ,and 87.2% at 2years of age. In the present study the bottle feeding rate was 24%(12) as compared with 49.5% at 1year of the age by Bnapurmath et al study, and 54% of bottle feeding in the study of A Gupta et al. In the present study 62% of the mothers started weaning feeds at the age of 5 to 8 months , 24%(12) of at the age of 1—4month of the age of the baby and about 14%(7) of did not start weaning even at the age of 9-12mo of the age, as compared with 57.3% by Banapurmath et al.
Conclusions
From this study it is clear that delayed initiation of breast feeding, rejection of colostrum and use of prelactel feeds are prevalent among urban mothers of Bangalore. Bottle feeding has still prevalent in the urban mothers and even commercial weaning feeds are used widely by many urban mothers. It is very much needed to still stress on BABY FEIENDLY HOSPITAL INITIATIVE (BFHI) program to educate mothers on advantage of breast feeding and to follow the standard steps of BFHI.