New Delhi: Despite of doctors' recommendation for decades along with numerous benefits of breastfeeding only 29.1 percent of infants get the breastfeed within the first hour of life. Malnutrition is responsible for death among infants under five and almost two-thirds of these deaths are often associated with inappropriate feeding practices which occur during the first year of the life.
According to the National Family Health Survey (2016-17), there is an enormous lack of awareness of breastfeeding in the national capital, and only 29.1 percent infant is breastfed in the first hour of birth. However, this figure was 19.3 percent during the year 2005-06. "Due to lack of awareness, a little improvement has happened in the past, but the road is still long ahead. The Delhi Government's annual report of the Directorate General of Health Services (2016-17) is different. According to the report, 26.42 percent of children are breastfed in the first hour of birth.
During infancy, no gift is more precious than breastfeeding, yet only one out of three infants is breastfed during the first six months across the world. The recommendation is clear –infants start breastfeeding within one hour of life and should be breastfed for six months. "The nutrition supply during the initial two years lay the foundation of the long-term health. Breastfeeding is an essential part of this initial nutrition as breast milk is a multifaceted combination of nutrients and bioactive markers which are essential for a newborn during the initial six months. Nutritional deficiencies early in life can result in long-lasting effects and can even pass on to generations," said Dr. Manjari Chandra, a senior Nutrition Advisor.
Breastfeeding has always been seen as a boon to the newborns and maternal benefits were not realized until recently. Dr. Manjari Chandra added "New evidence has suggested that breastfeeding is equally important to mothers and provides many short-term and long-term benefits. Immediate and early benefits for mothers include postpartum weight loss and mother-infant bonding. Pregnancy results in many physiological changes to support the new life in the womb. During pregnancy, the body goes in a hyperlipidemic and insulin resistant state, which increases the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes later in the life. Breastfeeding has shown to decrease the risk of long-term metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and is associated with 4–12 percent reduction in the risk of type-2 diabetes".