Lalitpur aces national, UP average with 71% breastfeeding

LALITPUR: Until some few years ago, the first milk of every mother in Lalitpur was carefully collected in a small bowl and offered to God.
A good number of families even poured the highly nutritious milk, rich in antibodies, over a kutcha patch of land in the home as a gesture to pay back mother earth for the obligation of being born as a human.

The baby was fed honey diluted with water.The myth violated a baby’s right to health at the very start of life besides creating a barrier between people and health goals.
Circa 2018. Lalitpur’s story changed, and was reflected in fourth National Family Health Survey’s assessment of WHO recommended breastfeeding within the first hour of birth.
It showed that over 71% of newborns were being breastfed as prescribed, the figure having doubled in five years.
Health workers had brought the turnaround by simple counselling. “Myths and misconceptions having religious connection are hard to break. Health workers played a mind game to beat the barrier. Instead of telling families that they were doing wrong, they started propagating that first milk was God’s blessing for baby and that God would be offended if the baby didn’t consume it,” said Dr RN Bakshi, additional CMO, Lalitpur.
Health workers were trained to deal with superstitions and myths with some of them being part of Baby Friendly Community Health Initiative (BFHI) project started by Prof KP Kushwaha, former principal, BRD Medical College.
This awareness initiative sensitised women about importance of early breastfeeding and its success was documented in several research papers.
“Breastfeeding within first hour of birth in 2008-09 was 15% which grew to 38% in 2013. The current rate is 71%,” Dr Bakshi said.
Health workers go to every house and motivate pregnant women and their family members to ensure that no baby is deprived of its rightful due.
Numbers speak for change: As per National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), Lalitpur tops the chart when it comes to exclusive breastfeeding for six months in UP at 71.2%, way ahead of national and state averages of 55% and 42%, respectively.
Why mother’s milk matters?: “It protects against diarrhoea and common illnesses such as pneumonia and may also yield long-term health benefits for mother and child, such as reducing risk of obesity. Breastfeeding has also been associated with higher intelligence quotient (IQ) in children,” says a WHO document.