Breastfeeding practice declines by 10% in five years

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Nov. 27: The number of breastfeeding women has decreased by 10 per cent in Nepal over the last five years, shows the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 2022.

According to WHO and UNICEF, optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices are critical to the health and survival of young children. Recommended IYCF practices include early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of life, exclusively breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, and feeding children a diet that meets a minimum diversity.

In the survey report, only 56 per cent of new mothers are exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months after giving birth, down from 66 percent in 2016. 

According to the report, 43 per cent of children aged 6-23 months were given sweet drinks, while 69 per cent were given unhealthy foods.

Around 75 per cent of women had breastfed in 1996, 68 per cent in 2001, 53 per cent in 2006, 70 per cent in 2011, and 66 per cent in 2016.

Doctors suggest that a baby should be fed with only mother's milk until six months after birth.