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"Mother's milk is best for infant"

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: An early initiation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months is the single-most effective child survival intervention -- even better than immunisation and critical care -- and increases neonatal survival by 22 per cent. Mother's milk provides the best nutrition to the infant.

Experts participating in a dialogue on the advantages of breastfeeding here on Thursday made these observations and called for generating awareness about continued breastfeeding practice for two years and beyond.

The complementary feeding of a child should start only after it completes six months, according to experts.

The half-day dialogue was organised by the Concerned Citizens for Community Health and Development (CCCHD) in association with UNICEF and Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW). The interaction involving paediatricians, public health workers, civil society organisations and media persons laid emphasis on scaling up breastfeeding through education, counselling and implementation of law.

The participants felt that the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992, should be enforced in its letter and spirit to prevent commercial promotion of baby food for children below two years.

CCCHD president Raj Bhandari, who is also the State coordinator of the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India, said the previous loopholes in the IMS Act had been plugged.

Sociologist and former Vice-Chancellor of Rajasthan University, Kanta Ahuja, said the anti-infection properties of the mother's milk were unique and breastfeeding protected the mother against several diseases.

"Breastfeeding is the safest method of reducing both maternal and infant mortality ratios," she said.

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