Anganwadi workers creating breastfeeding awareness among fathers: Shashi Panja
Kolkata: The state government has begun to involve fathers, male members and other family members to promote early breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding of the children till six months of age.
At an event organised by UNICEF, in collaboration with The Bengal Obstetric and Gynaecological Society, to observe World Breastfeeding Week, Shashi Panja, state minister of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, said: “Breastfeeding should not be discussed with the mothers alone. Workers at anganwadis have begun to discuss the benefits of breastfeeding to the fathers of the newborn and other family members. This awareness building exercise should start immediately with the conception of a child so that the entire family comes forward in helping the mother into breastfeeding”.
She added: “In the past seven days starting on August 1, family members were being told how to take care of the would-be mother during pregnancy and the importance of breastfeeding. Thus, an attempt has been made to bring the community forward in helping the mother into exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of her child’s life,” Dr Panja said.
Stating that 53 per cent of the mothers still need to exclusively breastfeed their children for the first six months, she said that her department will percolate this data in the field level to boost breastfeeding.
According to her, anganwadis in the state discussed breastfeeding benefits with would-be mothers and fathers and new fathers and key decision makers in the family like the mothers-in-law in the discussion. She urged the doctors and nurses present to spread the need for colostrum feeding within an hour of a child’s birth and its benefits. “Feed only the mother’s milk to the baby for the first six months and nothing else, not even water. Even in case of caesarean babies, breastfeeding has to be initiated within an hour of childbirth with the support of others present at the labour room or operation theatre of government or private hospital,” she said.
