DHS Longleng conducts training for healthcare workers

DIMAPUR — The District Health Society, Longleng, has organised a two-day district-level training on Mothers Absolute Affection (MAA) at the conference hall of the chief medical officer (CMO) in Longleng town on September 3 and 4.

The training was focused on revitalising efforts to promote, protect and support breastfeeding practices and achieving optimal infant and young child feeding and nutrition, stated an update from the CMO.

Topics of the two-day training included production and intake of breast milk, assessing and observing breast feeding, positioning the baby at the breast while breastfeeding, breast conditions and expressing breast milk, breastfeeding under special circumstances (HIV&IF, twins and low birth weight), breast feeding by working mothers, nutrition of lactating mothers and their health and fertility and hospital practices and baby friendly hospital initiatives.

It mentioned that breastfeeding is an important child survival intervention. It added that breastfeeding within an hour of birth can prevent 20 percent of newborn deaths.

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It stated that babies, who are exclusively breastfed in the first six month of age, are 11 times less likely to die from diarrhoea and 15 times less likely to die from pneumonia which are the two leading causes of death in children under 5 years of age.

As per recent survey (RSOC 2014), in India only 44.6 percent mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth despite the fact that about 78.7 percent deliver in institutions. Further, 64.9 percent babies are exclusively breastfed in the first sixth month of age.

The resource person of the two day training was Dr. Sanuzolu, junior specialist (pediatrician) at District Hospital, Longleng.

A total of 15 participants including GNM and ANM from PHC and CHC under Longleng district and senior nurses and ANM from District Hospital, Longleng, attended the training.