Breast feeding skill lab operational at AIIMS Raipur – Times of India

RAIPUR: All India Institute of Medical Sciences of Raipur Chhattisgarh has launched an advanced breastfeeding laboratory. This new lab will provide training and workshops for the new mothers through healthcare professionals, to enhance their knowledge and skills related to breastfeeding healthcare.
Gynecologist Dr. Aparna Deshpande one of the members in the launching told TOI that rural woman, in general, have a lack of knowledge, and awareness regarding breastfeeding due to which there are several challenges that both the child and mother go through afterwards which includes deaths of either, postpartum hemorrhage, reduced immunity, malnutrition, higher risks of chronic diseases, breast health issues, higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer, emotional and psychological impact, and many more.
This Breastfeeding skill laboratory will be training the healthcare professionals, nurses, staff, frontline members, and lactation counselors which will further disseminate the information to the to-be parents who will come to them before the pregnancy and after deliveries.
The Lab consists of advanced technologies where both theoretical and practical knowledge will be provided to the medical staff. Besides, the Infant young child feeding resource center (IYCF) has been opened in all 33 districts of the state, where lactation counselors have been appointed. In these places, monitoring will be done through telemonitoring for which the existing resources are being trained and provided with extra skills. Presently, one batch consisting of 30 – 33 doctors and medical officers, and lactation officers have been trained. In total, the state will consist of 250 – 260 counselors who will be given training in the coming days.
In the extremely remote areas of the state Women’s child development department which will include Anganwadi workers and mitanins will be trained by the Auxiliary Nurse midwife. They will provide Home Based newborn care (HBNC) in which the nurses will pay six to seven visits within the first 42 days and Home Based young child care (HBYC) in which the nurses will visit three months until the baby is 15 months. In these, the nurses will initiate establishing breastfeeding properly while also checking the weight of both the mother and child.
The breastfeeding skill lab was started in AIIMS Raipur in collaboration with UNICEF, National Health Mission, and the Women and Child Development Department.
Job Zachariah, chief of UNICEF in Chhattisgarh, says three principles should be followed by the mothers for breastfeeding including breastfeeding within one hour after the baby is born. This will prevent 21 percent chances of deaths of both the child and mother. Only 42 percent of children in India get breast milk within an hour while 32 percent of children get it in Chhattisgarh. Second, for the first six months, the child should be fed only with the mother’s milk and nothing else other than not even a drop of water or honey. 64 percent of children are needed with breastmilk in India while 80 percent of children within Chhattisgarh. At six months, apart from breast milk for two years, the child could be fed with some foods. In India, 12 percent of a child are fed the same while the statistics in Chhattisgarh is 11 percent, he added.