Importance And The Ways of Breast Feeding By Pediatrician Dr. Promilla Butani
Breast feeding is an emotional subject. It is linked to the basic events of life and its difficult not to be touched by it in some way. The merits of breast feeding are widely recognized. Jargons like “Breast is best” and “Breast feed is the Baby’s right” are being used to promote the un ageing practice of breast feeding amongst all mothers rich or poor, urban or rural. Our grandmothers and great, great grandmothers managed to breast feed and our counterparts in traditional rural societies still do so. Today’s mothers have to rediscover this knowledge with our help. The modern ‘era’ of artificial feeding dates back to the beginning of the century. There was this woman’s desire to be relieved of the “chore” of breast feeding and also equally importantly another key factor was the woman’s rapid loss of confidence in the ability to do so. Old customs are abandoned. The extended family is replaced by small nuclear families, feeding bottles and powders are readily available and