A Study On Colostrum And Exclusive Breast Feeding Practices And Its Determinants In Rural Mothers Of Katihar, Bihar

ABSTRACT

Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the feeding of babies and young children with milk from a woman‘s east. Breastfeeding has a number of benefits to both mother and baby, which infant formula lacks. Breastfeeding decreases the risk of respiratory tract infections and diarrhea. Other benefits include lower risks of asthma, food allergies, celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, and leukemia.Breastfeeding may also improve cognitive development and decrease the risk of obesity in adulthood. Benefits for the mother include less blood loss following delivery, better uterus shrinkage, weight loss, and less postpartum depression. Long term benefits for the mother include decreased risk of east cancer, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Breastfeeding is less expensive than infant formula.Colostrum is the first east milk produced after birth and is important for promotion of health and prevention of infections of the newborn immediately after birth. Though the eastfeeding practices are well known to mothers but the necessity of colostrum feeding is still poorly understood especially by the mothers in rural areas due to various factors. World Health Organization (WHO), recommend eastfeeding exclusively for six months. After the introduction of foods at six months of age, recommendations include continued eastfeeding until at least one to two years of age.