Imphal, January 12: Inspite of the common knowledge on the usefulness of breast-feeding the child atleast for the first six months of birth, the rate of breast-feeding in Manipur is still very low due to various factors.

During the course of a survey conducted by the Sangai Express as part of the Fellowship of the Medical Journalism sponsored by the Shija Hospital and Research Institute, it came to light that many of the women in Manipur who are working in organised as well as unorganised sectors have not been able to breast-feed their children properly inspite of the general awareness that breast-feeding can prevent the child from various diseases.

The secretary of Breast-feeding Promotion Network of India, Manipur Branch Dr Shyamkumar Laishram said that every child should be breast-fed for atleast six months of its birth.

This would ensure the health quality of not only of the mother and the child, but would also improve the relationship and the financial condition of the family.

The first yellowish milk called Colostrum secreted by the mothers should be given to the child within 30 to 60 minutes of birth and it is like the first immunisation, Dr Shyamkumar said, adding the breast-feeding Colostrum can prevent the mother from possible cases of Post-partum haemorrhage.

Proper growth of the child and protection from various diseases like asthma, eczema, diarrhoea, pneumonia, bronchitis, etc can also be ensure if it is properly breast-fed atleast for six months of birth, he added.

Dr Shyamkumar further pointed out that all the nutritional requirements for the proper growth of the child are found in the month's milk.

There is rich content of protein and iron in the mother's milk.

Breast-feeding of the child should also be continued till the attainment of atleast 2 years along with the supplement of the home-made foods.

Regular and proper breast-feeding can also reduces the chances of suffering from breast cancer, cervical cancer, etc among the mothers apart from helping proper spacing in between pregnancies.

While explaining correct method of breastfeeding, Dr Shyamkumar said that secretion of adequate quantity of milk by the mothers is directly related to the condition of their physical health and the mental state.

So every lactating mother should have the confident that they would be able to breast-feed their children.

At the time of breastfeeding, the mothers should hold the child in their lap and keep eye contact with the child.

On why the rate of breastfeeding child in Manipur is very low, Dr Shyamkumar pointed out lack of family support and proper encouragement by the doctors and the nurses among other factors.

So, he stressed on the need for imparting proper training of the nurses and the doctors in this regard.

Head of Department of Radiotherapy of RIMS Prof Dr Th Tomcha noted that 21 percent of the cancer cases among the Manipuri women are breast cancer and 16 percent are womb or cervical cancer.

Discouragement of breastfeeding is one of the main causes of these two types of cancers among the Manipuri women, Dr Tomcha added.

In connection with low rate of breast-feeding in Manipur, Secretary of Women Action for Development Subita Mangsatabam observed that many of the women in Manipur cannot breast-feed their child properly due to various factors like domestic violence, increase in the women of working women and prevalent of the volatile violent situation leaving many young mothers widowed.

Bhanu, a lactating mother, who works as a teacher in a private school maintained that after the two months maternity leave given to them which also are varies from one school to another, it is difficult for them to breast-feed their children properly and regularly.

Child care centres or creches should be set up attached to school complexes for the conveniences of the lactating mothers, she suggested.

Subita Mangsatabam sums up that along with family support, there is the need on the part of the Government to increase the number of maternity leave being granted to women employees and implement a special policy for the women working in private sectors in this regard.

Comment