Too little and too late. Initiation of breast feeding in Odisha, India: An observational study

OBJECTIVES: To assess of the time of breastfeeding initiation, identify reasons for delay, if any and to assess if any prelacteal feeds were offered. METHODS: An observational study was conducted among the inpatients of a tertiary care centre in Bhubaneswar, India. A total of 385 mothers, without contraindications to breastfeeding were interviewed at the earliest after childbirth. RESULTS: Only 36.4% mothers initiated breastfeeding “timely.” Those who had undergone vaginal delivery scored better than cesarean sections with 41.3% (CI 95%; P = 0.016). Rooming in helped at 37.6% (CI 95%; P = 0.006). Multiparous homemakers from nuclear families and those who had previously breast fed initiated earlier than their counterparts. Less than 5% (CI 95%; P = 0.056) offered prelacteal feeds, mostly water. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals an alarming decline in the timely initiation of breastfeeding in Odisha, India from 68.5% to 41.6%.