Child Development and Public Health

Breast Feeding in India

"If a multinational company developed a product that was a nutritionally balanced and delicious food, a wonder drug that both prevented and treated disease, cost almost nothing to produce and could be delivered in quantities controlled by the consumers' needs, the very announcement of their find would send their shares rocketing to the top of the stock market. The scientists who developed the product would win prizes and the wealth and influence of everyone involved would increase dramatically. Women have been producing such a miraculous substance, breast milk, since the beginning of human existence..."
-- Gabrielle Palmer, in The Politics of Breastfeeding, London: Pandora Press, 1988, page 1.

In some places in India, when it comes to health it is here that they hold the highest infant mortality rate, high levels of under nutrition and very poor childcare. There are about 30,000 children born per year, health status for children under two was the worse than any other district. Infant feeding practices were very poor. Women who were dominated by their mother in laws to practice the Orthodox beliefs of not feeding the child within an hour after birth, giving the child honey after birth which we know has a bacteria in it that infants can't digest, and there was no exclusive breast feeding after birth for six months. At first It was challenging to reach out to lactating mothers to convince them what was right for the health of their babies.

 The community has grown and women are eager to seek information and are a lot more open to following scientific practices instead of conventional beliefs. Statistics have shown an increase and growth in indicators. Initiation of breast feeding within one hour of birth has grown from 39 to 72 percent in a three year time frame. Today women are following through with the change. The dominating force behind it is the "baby friendly community health initiative" (BFCHI Project) which collaborates with  pediatrics and
focus was to promote infant feeding practices concerning infants and young children. This was executed through counseling of expectant mothers and training.

Breast feeding has many benefits. Many will agree breast feeding is great for the baby but has wonderful  has impacts on mothers, babies and society. Moms who breast feed have many benefits such as a reduction in ovarian cancer, helps develop special and emotional relationships with child. In babies breast milk provides children with the best nutritional mix possible, and it protects against upset stomachs and diarrhea. Lastly, its effects on the environment are rewarding as well having healthier moms and babies reduces visits to the doctor and increased medical bills.