BREAST FEEDING OUTCOME

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of prelacteal feeding among mothers ofPakistan and to find out the various concepts behind this practice and fundamentally to establishthe association of prelacteal feeding with breastfeeding outcomes. Background: In Pakistan,many efforts have been done to emphasize the nutritional importance and adequacy of breastmilk for the newborns. Despite such efforts, it has been witnessed on multiple occasions thatprior to the commencement of breastfeeding, prelacteal feeds are introduced by the mothers totheir young ones. Prelacteal feed (PLF) are food supplements that are given to newborns orally.Design: Qualitative, descriptive, cross sectional Survey. Setting: The Lady Dufferin Hospital(LDH) and Jinnah Medical College hospital (JMCH). Methods: Study includes 400 Mothersincluding young mothers and data was collected with use of a pre-assessed authenticatedquestionnaire. Results: A large group of, both educated and uneducated, mothers knew aboutPLF administration (90.5%). Out of these, 70% mothers routinely give prelacteal feeds, withreadymade ghutti and honey being the most widely used supplements, 19.5% and 37.2%respectively .However their reasons for doing so differed significantly. Family tradition (27.8%)and religious credence (21.8%) are the most popular reasons for practicing prelacteal feeding.The other minor reasons are breast milk insufficiency, prevention of dehydration, hypoglycaemia,preparation of the gastrointestinal tract for digestion and to quench thirst. However, majorityof the subjects were aware of the benefits of breastfeeding and 99% mothers breastfed theirchildren. Conclusions: Regardless of the fact that mothers understand the significance ofbreast milk, most mothers routinely and unnecessarily give prelacteal feeds. Therefore, mothersshould be discouraged for the unsafely administration of prelacteal feeds and re-emphasizedabout the importance and nutritional adequecy of breastfeeding.