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Strengthening What Works: Improving Breastfeeding in the Indian Context
['Dr Aswathy Vijayakumar', 'Ms Neha Gehi']
Rising Kashmir
This year's theme, "Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works," highlights the need to promote, and support breastfeeding as a cornerstone of child survival, maternal health, and sustainable development.
This is significant progress as the first hour is a window that is very important for establishing bonding, ensuring exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, and strengthening newborn immunity.
Mothers need the right support.
Conversely, exclusive breastfeeding was less likely among mothers under 20 years of age, babies born with low birth weight, and cases where breastfeeding was initiated more than an hour after birth.
World Health Assembly's target is of achieving 70% exclusive breastfeeding by 2030.