Srinagar 08 Aug., 2022:
The Department of Community Medicine SKIMS, celebrated Breastfeeding week 2022 on this year’s theme “Step up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support”. The Department conducted various activities aimed at “Breastfeeding Friendly Hospitals” which was the focus of World Breastfeeding Week 2022 in India. The activities were focused on postnatal ward of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Child Health clinic of the Department of Community Medicine and CHC Sumbal, the Rural health training center of the Department of Community Medicine. The activities included awareness generation among antenatal females, post-natal mothers, the care givers of the postnatal women and the persons accompanying the children for immunization. The emphasis was laid on importance of breastfeeding, benefits of breastfeeding to mother and child, early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding and timely and appropriate complementary feeding. Besides this, practical demonstration of proper attachment and positioning at breast was given to breastfeeding mothers in the postnatal ward. Hand-outs containing information on benefits of breastfeeding were distributed. Issues with regard to breastfeeding among the postnatal mothers were addressed through counseling and demonstration. Stress was given towards discouragement of pre-lacteal feeds and bottle feeding. To get a deeper insight into the problems being faced by lactating mothers, focused group discussion was conducted with breastfeeding mothers as participants, on the barriers and facilitators of breastfeeding, the perceptions about breastfeeding and formula milk and suggestions about how breastfeeding may be promoted in the hospitals.