A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE RELATED TO BREAST FEEDING AMONG PRIMI POSTNATAL MOTHERS IN MAHILA CHIKITSALAYA, JAIPUR

INTRODUCTION: Children bring fragrance and meaning to life. They are a gift to us from God and we are the gardeners to meet their needs. We can provide the best to them by proper nourishments, love, attention, care and good health. Today’s children are citizen of tomorrow and to have a strong-shouldered man a child should be free from morbidity. Mahler, who was the Director General of the W.H.O. in 1984, stated that “children are a priceless resource and a nation which neglects them does so at its peril”. Healthy children are the greatest resource and pride of the nation; the children ought to be healthy and happy to become productive adults of the future. To give them a happy and healthy childhood, we must safeguard their total health right from the beginning. AIM OF THE STUDY: Assess the knowledge and practice related to breast feeding among primi postnatal mothers. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A descriptive study was carried out to assess the knowledge and practice of 100 primi postnatal mothers selected by purposive sampling, in Mahila Chikitsalaya, Jaipur (Rajasthan) and were assessed by using a structured knowledge questionnaire and analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics for data analysis. RESULT: The findings of the study reveals that the level of knowledge shows that majority (43%) of the sample had moderate knowledge regarding breast feeding and (46%) had moderate practice of breast feeding. However, the majority of the demographic variables such as age, religion, educational status, occupation, monthly income, place of residence, source of information and number of antenatal visits were significantly associated with knowledge of primi postnatal mothers regarding breast feeding and selected demographic variables is accepted. Variables such as age, religion, educational status, occupation, monthly income, place of residence and number of antenatal visits were significantly associated with practices of primi postnatal mothers regarding breast feeding and selected demographic variables is accepted. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that primi postnatal mothers have moderate knowledge and practice regarding breast feeding as per current research recommendations. KEY WORDS: Knowledge, Practice, Primi Postnatal mothers, Breast feeding.