In an effort to encourage breast-feeding among new and future mothers in Bangalore, Aster CMI Hospital today conducted an hour long poster presentation on the benefits of breast-feeding, at its premise which was attended by more than 50 people. The session also involved educational talks by a team of gynaecologists and neonatologists, focusing on the need for mothers to exclusively breastfeed their children, the typical challenges faced by new mothers today for breastfeeding and the ways to overcome these challenges.The theme of the session was – ‘Empower Parents and Encourage Breastfeeding’ as directed by WHO. Posters created by the team of nurses from NICU and LDRP team, depicting motivational messages, the importance of breast-feeding techniques such as latching and the importance of breastmilk in setting the base for a child’s long-term immunity and health were created and shared with the audience.“Every single baby should be breast-fed unless there are dire circumstances which do not allow a mother to breast-feed her child.
Breast-feeding has incomparable benefits for the baby’s health, and we advise all new mothers not to fall for any misguided advice and to trust their instincts when it comes to feeding their child. Breast-fed babies tend to develop higher IQs are less prone to developing asthma, allergies and weight disorders such as obesity,” said Dr. Parimala V. Thirumalesh, Consultant, Neonatology and Paediatrics, Aster CMI Hospital.As a part of the session, the doctor discussed the different techniques a mother can adopt to breast-feed her child as well as shared tips for mothers to breast-feed their babies in tricky or public situations such as during a mall trip. Mothers of babies who were admitted in the NICU were also present to discuss their challenges with breastfeeding. “I was not aware of the different types of positions that one can adapt to make breast-feeding more comfortable and fruitful for both mother and child. I only knew one or two positions, but I discovered more during this session. This was a great initiative and I will be looking forward to share my learnings here with other mothers as well,” said a mother to be at the event.