The number of breastfeeding mothers decreased

 The infant mortality rate is 10 times higher in Children who have been drinking bottled milk

Recently, the number of breastfeeding mothers in Nepal has been gradually decreasing. Why do mothers start breastfeeding their babies? How does not breastfeeding affect the health of the baby and the mother? Can formula milk, which is readily available in the market, replace breast milk? What effect does market milk have on a child's physical and mental growth and development? What is the difference between formula milk and breastfeeding in physical and mental development?

Is the number of breastfeeding mothers in Nepal gradually decreasing?

Twenty years ago, 88 percent of mothers breastfed their babies. Now that number is declining. For example, a 2016 survey found that 66 percent of mothers breastfeed. According to a mixed survey conducted in 2019, the number of breastfeeding has dropped to 55 percent. On the one hand modernization and on the other hand literacy rate is also increasing.

SLC, Plus Two, Bachelor, Masters have also increased. As women's literacy rates increased, so did their work outside the home. When women are so busy at work, they are not able to give time to their children. One of the practices that has come with modernization is that our tendency to eat fast food is increasing.

Prepared meals are often readily available in busy areas. The tendency to eat such fast food increased the distance between mother and child. Prepared formula milk became available in the market for children. Preparatory meals were arranged for her mother at the place where she went to work. That is why it is a big problem now for the mother to be busy at work, looking for alternatives to take care of the child.

People did not understand the importance of breastfeeding. If breastfed properly, no other food is needed for 6 months. Therefore, the baby should be fed breast milk within 1 hour of birth. Breast milk is the first natural vaccine for babies. There can be no more effective vaccine.

Interview with Kedar Raj Parajuli, Head of Nutrition Branch, Family Welfare Division:

From : ratopati.com