Better than a bottle......

The Baby's Treat..... Better than a Bottle. 

 

"It is so nice to hold your baby but it is so hard to learn how to take care of it, to make the first breastfeeding steps, you have to learn new things and amazing, the baby knows those things more than we, the mothers, do. We have to teach the mothers how to learn from their babies all the first steps they have to take in their relationship" Dr. Krishna Kumari  sums up the essence of her work as coordinator of the breastfeeding awareness campaign at the maternity in Goregaon.

A Maternity Hospital is a very special place. This is the place where you meet your child for the very first time. Even if coming as a simple visitor, you can feel a peculiar buzz, a feeling of tension, of pain and happiness; nurses in a hurry, round bellies showing up around every corner, a blushing and restless mother-to-be.

The wards are clean, colorful, and the new mothers have their little ones next to them on the bed or sleeping in their separate cribs. This is what is called “rooming in”, in other words, the baby joins the mother right after birth.

"The infant has to get close to its mother right after birth" - said Mrs. Naina. Breast feeding Programme Consultant. "It is recommended that the baby is put on the mother’s breast immediately after birth to hear the mother's heart beat and feel the heart sound that the baby has been hearing for 9 months. That's how the mother and child get attached to each other and, when they are together all the time, the mother can see what the baby is doing and she can breastfeed whenever she has to".

 My dream was to exclusively breastfeed my baby for at least six months. I was convinced this was the best way to feed newborn babies, for the sake of their nutrition and their psychological bond with their mothers. I used to visit maternity wards as part of my work, and tell all the mothers I met, “You should have six months of exclusive breastfeeding, period!”Says Mrs.Rathod mother of 4 month old.

“Breast milk is known as complete nutrient or food for the babies. It is economical because we don’t need to buy formula milk, especially now that I gave birth to a baby boy. It helps us save money,” Says the mother of 1yr old.

The children who are exclusively breastfed for a long period of time are not only better fed. They are emotionally balanced; they have better social skills and a higher IQ. Breastfeeding helps prevent a number of serious adult conditions such as obesity and diabetes. It helps mother to recover faster and easier after giving birth and it helps prevents breast cancer and cervical cancer.

Things are quite simple. Lactation is a physiological process which starts immediately after delivery; it is the cheapest and the best way to feed your new born. None of the artificial milk formulas have the same quality as mother's milk.

Nevertheless, not all mothers choose to breastfeed their baby in the first months of life."There are many obstacles, the doctor said.

"Breastfeeding is not only the cornerstone of a child’s healthy development; it is also the foundation of a country’s development."