Manju Bala Dash*

Professor, Mother Theresa Post Graduate and Research Institute of Health Sciences (MTPG & RIHS), Puducherry, India

*Corresponding Author: Manju Bala Dash, Professor, Mother Theresa Post Graduate and Research Institute of Health Sciences (MTPG & RIHS), Puducherry, India.

Received: March 27, 2018; Published: May 03, 2018

Citation: Manju Bala Dash. “Success Story of Infant and Young Child Feeding Training Programme”. Acta Scientific Paediatrics 1.1 (2018):01.

“Breast milk is the Best milk”

The story started when I got trained in IYCF Counselling specialist Course by the team of National Trainers in October 2013. They are Dr. Srinivasan, Dr, Kesavulu, Dr. Raghu who had changed me and my attitude towards breastfeeding.

There after I had organized three times IYCF Counselling specialist course in Rajiv Gandhi Govt Women and Children Hospital in the years of Sept 2014, Oct 2015 and Feb 2016. After this I met a legend of IYCF course, he is Dr. K.P. Khuswaha, Chairperson of BPNI, New Delhi, has great role in this success story of today, who made me National Trainer.

This training strengthened my knowledge, skill in breast feeding. Myself along with other National Trainers conducted many programmes in different places, Villages, PHC's, CHC's and regularly provided counselling to the mothers.

Further there came a great change in RGGWCH, Puducherry. Medical Superintendent of this hospital wanted to train all Medical Officers and Nursing Officers on Basic Breast feeding course to declare this hospital as Baby Friendly. This is the turning point of the success. Total 289 staffs of RGGWCH, Puducherry out of which 74 were Medical officers and 215 were Nursing officers were trained by two National Trainers of IYCF. They are Professor DR. Manju Bala Dash and Prof. DR. Jayestri Kurushev. Training also given to other workers as per their need. we both trainers conducted pre and post-test for all the groups. the total knowledge level during pre- test was only 15% whereas it is 80% during the post-test. there was improvement in the practice skills gradually.

The real success of the story started now. In this hospital we can observe drastic change. There is a “U” turn. This hospital follows all these 10 steps of successful breastfeeding. Staffs started practicing breast crawl, putting the baby over the chest of the mother for initiation of first feeding "the best start of life". Further in the postnatal, postoperative ward all the methods and techniques are continued. Mothers with LBW babies are trained with Expressed Breast Milk and cup feeding.

The great success of this hospital is avoiding purchase of lactogen i.e. infant milk substitutes. All the staffs are dedicated to service and even they spent time with mothers for continue breast feeding for their baby.

The miracle of mothers milk...As per the staffs verbatim--"they have observed that when they used to give 5 to 6 pallada of lactogen milk to the baby in NICU the GMR raise only 40 to 60 mg/dl, whereas when they gave only one pallada of breast milk, there is a great change in GMR value like it is increasing to 80 mg/dl. This is possible only by breastmilk. Is not the Miracle.....given by Nature.... creation of Lord Almighty.

The author like to share a real case history of a preterm baby. Baby delivered in 28th week of gestation and only 1.4 kg birth weight. Baby shifted to NICU and was there for a Month. EBM from donors milk was started at beginning but once the mother has seen the baby and understand that her milk only necessary for a baby, then difficulties are over. Mother started to express milk and fed her child every hour. Baby has no suckling reflex but the mother was so convenience, she put the baby to breast in between feeding. The baby’s weight increased to 2 kg then to 3 kg like this. This evidence is shared only to highlight that miracle of the breast milk which can do anything and everything what a mother wants for her child. It needs only confidence among the mother. When a 28th week gestation mother able to produce sufficient milk for her baby, is it impossible for a term mother to feed her baby? Only mindset is required. It is also proved that mother secret milk more than requirement of one baby. Ex. Mother can feed twin babies. So it is also a great job mother can donate the extra milk which will save the life of other baby in times of need.

Another information shared by staffs- When the baby put on chest of the mother they reach automatically to breast. The time varies 7 minutes to 60 minutes depending on baby's activeness, duration of labour, weight of the baby etc. It's a joys moment not only for the baby but for the mother too who is able to see her baby, hold her own child for whom she was waiting a long duration about 9 months and 7 days, 40 weeks, 280 days.

This year is the 25^th year celebration for WABA, BPNI and BFHI. Further Govt of India also implemented a new programme i.e. "MAA EK Sankalp" for promotion of breastfeeding, So this is the right time for all of us to know the power of mother's milk. Each mother should understand and realise that their milk is the only suitable food for their baby.

Studies proved that breastfed babies are three times more intelligent, healthy than non-breastfed babies. Not only that even non-communicable diseases like type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, cardiac diseases and obesity can be prevented only by exclusive breast feeding the child.

There is a small request to the readers to share the goodness of breastfeeding to all mothers they come across and can share some success stories which will build confidence of the trainers, mothers and it will help to develop a eco-friendly India and Make in India.

Copyright: © 2018 Manju Bala Dash. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.