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International Journal of Pure & Applied Bioscience (IJPAB)
Year : 2017, Volume : 5, Issue : 6
First page : (475) Last page : (481)
Article doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.5774

Assessment of Knowledge Related to Breastfeeding, Practices Pertaining to Early Initiation of Breastfeeding and Effect of Counselling among Post-Natal Mothers Admitted in Two Hospitals of Jaipur City

Anjana Singh1, Mukta Agrawal2* and Pragati Chaudhary3
Department of Home Science, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur-302004, Rajasthan, India
*Corresponding Author E-mail: muktahsc@gmail.com
Received: 23.09.2017  |  Revised: 25.10.2017   |  Accepted: 1.11.2017  

 ABSTRACT

World Health Organisation strongly advocates breastfeeding as the preferred feeding for all infants. Breast milk is known to be the complete food for the infants because it contains all the nutrients in the correct proportion. Therefore the present study was aimed to assess the knowledge of breastfeeding and practice of early initiation of breastfeeding, prelacteal feeding, colostrum feeding, frequency of breastfeeding in 24 hour of birth and the effect of counselling on the level of knowledge of post natal mothers admitted in two hospitals i.e. Deendayal hospital and Holy family hospitalof Jaipur City, Rajasthan. A total of 42 mothers were interviewed during 03 march 2016 to 09 may 2016 through pre-structured questionnaire containing open as well as close ended questions. Pre-test and post-test was conducted to assess the gain in knowledge of mothers before and after counselling.Results of the study revealed that before counselling the overall knowledge mean score was found to be 12.85±1.85 out of 20. Whereas in the post-test, it increased upto 18±1.81. Significant increase in mean score indicated gain in knowledge due to counselling. Results regarding practices of breastfeeding indicates that very few (11.90%) mothers breastfed their neonates within one hour after delivery.Majority of mothers (78.57%) gave pre lacteal feeds such as honey (42.85%), janam ghutti (9.52%), sugar water (4.76%) and infant formula (21.42%) to the neonates. Only 21.43% of mothers had given breast milk as first feed to the child. Half of mothers (47.61%) discarded colostrum while 52.38% mothers provide colostrum to their infants and 78.56% mothers breastfed their children 7-12 times in a day followed by 21.42% feeding less than 7 times in a day. Study concluded that the knowledge of mothers regarding breastfeeding was not adequate and that was reflected on their practices of breastfeeding. Majority of new borns were given prelacteal as a first feed, initiation of breastfeeding was done after 6 to 7 hours of delivery, almost half of mothers were discarding colostrum. A positive impact of counselling on breastfeeding knowledge was found.

Key words: Breastfeeding, Prelacteal feeding, Early initiation, Colostrum feeding

Full Text : PDF; Journal doi : http://dx.doi.org/10.18782

Cite this article: Singh, A., Agrawal, M. and Chaudhary, P., Assessment of Knowledge Related to Breastfeeding, Practices Pertaining to Early Initiation of Breastfeeding and Effect of Counselling among Post-Natal Mothers Admitted in Two Hospitals of Jaipur City, Int. J. Pure App. Biosci.5(6): 475-481 (2017). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.5774