TRENDS IN INFANT FEEDING PRACTICES: UNDERSTANDING MATERNAL CHOICES

Infant feeding practices generally meet the baby’s nutritional and immunological needs. World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend a global strategy, i.e., early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. Supplementary foods that are safe and nutritious are introduced at six months of age, and breastfeeding is maintained until the child is two years old or older. Breastfeeding has a beneficial effect on the health of women. Breastfeeding helps lose pregnancy weight faster (Kramer & Kakuma, 2012; Baker et al., 2008; Sanusi & Falana, 2013). A study revealed that breastfed women lose 4.4 kilograms in a year, compared to 2.4 kilograms for non-breastfeeding women (P<0.5) (Dewey et al., 1993). This underlines the effectiveness of breastfeeding, especially if practiced exclusively in the first six months, in reducing weight gain during pregnancy. Breastfeeding promotes uterine contraction, thereby reducing blood loss after delivery and promoting uterine involution (NRDC, 2005). Breastfeeding reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (Davis et al., 2012). It also lowers the risk of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers (Labbok, 2001; NRDC, 2005; Centre for Community Child Health, 2006; Huo, Adebamowo, 2008; Sule, 2011; Davis et al., 2012). The absence of menstruation due to breastfeeding serves as temporary contraception for some women (Kuti et al., 2007). According to a World Health Organization (WHO) study, frequent, ondemand breastfeeding is continued until two years of age or beyond. The plan includes six targets, one of which is to increase by 2025 the rate of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months up to at least 50%. Activities that will help to achieve this include those outlined in the “Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeling”, which aims to protect, promote, and support appropriate infant and young child feelings. Healthy eating was a top priority for expectant moms and mothers with at least one kid under two years old. Still, they either used expert recommendations inconsistently or in a fashion that only partially reflected their understanding of the best child-feeding practices. Although the moms used online and in-person social networks to obtain information about infant feeding, their instincts about what is best for their child were the primary guidance for their decisions. Positive, encouraging messages from reliable medical sources were appreciated, but clinicians were the least often cited source of knowledge on child feeding. A nutritious diet for their children was a top priority for expectant moms and mothers with at least one kid between the ages of 0 and 2. Nevertheless, they either used expert recommendations inconsistently or in a manner that only partially reflected their awareness of the best practices for child feeding. Although the moms used online and in-person social networks to obtain information about infant feeding, their instincts about what is best for their child served as the primary guidance for their decisions. Positive, encouraging messages from reliable medical sources were appreciated, but clinicians were the least often cited source of knowledge on child feeding. These findings can be used by clinicians to help parents make decisions on feeding their young children. Finding the best ways to collaborate with parents and support their efforts to feed their children healthily is crucial, especially in light of the high prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, the severe short- and long-term physical and mental effects of childhood excess weight, and the significance of early childhood feeding practices on long-term health, body composition, and eating behaviors. (Weber, M. B., Palmer, W., Griffin, M., & Welsh, J. A., 2023) In order for policymakers and the general public around the world to acknowledge the mounting scientific evidence that breastfeeding is the most evolved and suitable feeding strategy for maximizing the survival, health, and well-being of both mothers and infants, it is necessary to invest in public awareness and education. It is necessary to implement comprehensive health education campaigns aimed at the general public and policymakers in order to dispel misconceptions regarding the similarities between breast milk and commercial milk formula (Pérez-Escamilla, Rafael, et al., 2023). According to the criteria applied in this analysis, the percentage of Indian infants who were exclusively breastfed for six months increased from 31.3% in the NFHS-4 (2015– 16) survey to 43% in the NFHS-5 (2019–2021) survey. Mothers from the scheduled tribe group who gave birth at public health facilities and who got at least four prenatal visits during their pregnancy were more likely to nurse their babies exclusively for up to six months. A lower chance of being exclusively breastfed for up to six months of life was linked to younger women (less than 24 years old), low birth weight (less than 2000 g) babies, higher birth order babies (more than three), and breastfeeding that began more than an hour after birth. There was no relationship between exclusive breastfeeding for six months and the infant’s gender, wealth index, or place of residence (rural or urban). (Reddy N, S., Dharmaraj, A., Jacob, J. et al.,2023) The previous studies have touched on various aspects relating to the feeding practices of mothers, but none of the studies seems to have touched the area relating to awareness regarding the feeding practices and details of the mother‘s as well as the child‘s health.