The gift of health

By IE
Wednesday July 25, 05:20 AM
The Indian woman has a deep-seated natural urge to breastfeed. She does not need to be convinced to breastfeed her baby.,''says Dr Jyotsna Padalkar in 'Breastfeeding made easy' a book devoted to all aspects of breast feeding. Written and translated by Dr Nirmala Dharap from the original book written by Padalkar, the release of the book is a timely one as it coincides with the World Breastfeeding week - observed in the first week of August.

The Pune unit of the Breastfeeding Promoting Network of India (BPNI) will be observing the week by organizing workshops for doctors, nurses, and others apart from conducting essay competitions. Padalkar's book will also be released at a function at D Y Patil medical college.

A paediatrician who worked for 14 years at Sassoon General hospital, Padalkar observed that the root of many childhood diseases was due to failure of breastfeeding. "The importance of breastfeeding, the science behind its success, physical and emotional investment of the woman, the vital role of family members, wrong beliefs and myths regarding breastfeeding and other related issues have been skillfully tackled in the book,'' says Dr Vaijayanti Khanvilkar, former President of the Pune unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
BPNI has joined hands with UNICEF, WHO and World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) to draw the attention of all the people to join in the global appeal for protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding. It urges the people to participate in the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) from 1 to 7 August 2007. The theme of this year is " Breastfeeding: The 1st Hour Save One Million Babies!"
A UNICEF 2007 report states that India has close to 25 million children born every year. Out of these, 1.9 million are under-5 children, who die in a year. Among the deceased children, 1.4 million children die just within 1 year and roughly 1 million children die within a month.

Says Dr Shirish Patwardhan, President of the Pune unit of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Society of India (FOGSI) who has tied up with the Indian Academy of Paediatrics to create awareness about breastfeeding. "Breast milk is the best food for your baby for the first six months of his/her life. Studies have proved beyond doubt that babies who have been breast fed for the first six months of their lives, stay healthier throughout their lives. It is very important that you feed the baby the first milk your breast produces --known as colostrums. This is rich in antibodies and other substances that protect the baby from infections and illness.''

With a lot of misconceptions about breastfeeding, Padalkar's book answers several questions. Starting from the history of the bottle and formula feeding, she goes on to educate the new, enthusiastic and eager mother with topics such as how the milk 'comes in', the 'first feed' and then how to take care of oneself.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070724/48/6ikg2.html

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