DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2019.v07i03.021

Pages: 959-963

Exclusive breastfeeding up to six months is considered to be beneficial for the health and wellbeing of infants and mothers. It is believed that breast-feeding is universally and traditionally practiced in India. The best gift a mother can give to infant is breastfeeding. This descriptive study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Warangal, Telangana state, India. Every third trimester mothers admitted in the maternity ward with a minimum of three antenatal visits were included in the study. These 200 mothers were administered a pre-tested semi structured questionnaire on breastfeeding in the local language, Telugu, within 24 hours of giving birth, 3months and 6 months. The mean age of the mothers was 24.7 ±5.62 years. The age group less than 20 years consist of about 22%. About one third of mothers did not have any formal education (35%), and first-time mothers were (34%), one third of mothers did not have any formal education (35%), and first-time mothers were (34%) and 52% were from low socio-economic status. About 85% lived in nuclear families, 42% had normal delivery and 95% delivered in health institutions. Only 28.5 % newborns were breast fed within 1 hr of birth. 67.5% of newborns were put on breast milk in later hrs of the same day and 4% were fed after one day. Here 56% of newborns received prelacteal feed. Exclusive breast feeding up to six months were noticed in 24.5%, 52.5% up to 4 months, 33% up to 3 months respectively. Majority of mothers (46%) felt that milk is not sufficient enough to satisfy their child. About 7% mothers were found who has delivered twins, in which 4% exclusively breastfed onlyup to 4 month and other 3% breast-fed only up to 1 month. Total 34% mothers were found working out of which 11% mothers did exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months. Most of mothers were not followed proper birth spacing. About 62% mothers were conceived within one year, in which 35% breast-fed up to 6 months.