Breastfeeding practices seem to be taking a positive turn in Madhya Pradesh, as the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, 2016) data suggests.
The two key factors that have shown significant improvement are breastfeeding the newborns in the very first hour of their birth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months.
Also, going by other child health indicators, there are a few ambiguities that seem to crop up. “Institutional birth rate in the state has touched 80% (NFHS-4), which creates a good opportunity for the institutions to boost awareness regarding colostrum feeding for the child and elevate the existing 35% to a much better figure,” said Soha Moitra, the Regional Director, CRY (North).
“The fact that mother’s milk is of utmost importance to the growth and development of the child makes it a mandatory diet for the baby during her first six months. However, this information is not surely as widespread a piece of information as it should be,” she added.