‘Mothers must learn right posture of breastfeeding’

LUCKNOW: Incorrect posture while breastfeeding can lead to medical problem for the child, said Dr Rehan, paediatrician at the urban health centre.

He said that mothers should learn the correct method of breastfeeding and also learn some indications to check whether the child is comfortable while being breastfed. “The newborn should be breastfed within first hour of birth but not without proper method as incorrect method might stop the breath of the child,” said Dr Rehan.

The child should be held in a position where the head and rest of the body are in correct direction. According to Dr Arun Gupta, a senior paediatrcian and coordinator of Breastfeeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI), “Breastfeeding is essential to child’s health, survival and development, yet in India 3 out 5 women are not able to initiate breastfeeding within an hour of birth. It is said only 1 out 2 women can practice exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. This happens because women continue to face multiple barriers to breastfeeding at home, work place and hospitals.” Breastfeeding has been seen as a boon to both newborns and mother.

Evidence suggests 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.

“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% reduction in the risk of type-2 diabetes,” said Dr Vinod Jain, a public health expert.

EVIDENCE SUGGESTS BREASTFEEDING IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO MOTHERS AND IMMEDIATE AND EARLY BENEFITS FOR MOTHERS INCLUDE POSTPARTUM WEIGHT LOSS.