Abstract
Purpose: To assess the status of baby friendly hospital initiative in selected teaching hospitals in Bangalore. Methods: Implementation of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in two selected teaching hospitals in Bangalore, South India was assessed through a cross sectional study where post natal mothers and staff in charge of postnatal wards were interviewed using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire, and also direct inspection of hospital was done using a check list. Results: Early initiation of breast feeding was seen only in 12% and 10% of mothers in government hospital and private hospital respectively. Practice of giving colostrums was found to be better in government hospital (p<0.05), practice of giving top feeds was more in private hospital (p<0.05). Nearly 64% of mothers in the government hospital and 20% in the private hospital (p<0.01) were helped by staff during difficulty in feeding. Post graduates had better knowledge compared to nurses and interns on components of exclusive breast feeding. Conclusion: Though both the hospitals were certified BF (Baby Friendly) hospitals, practice of exclusive breast feeding was found better in government hospital. This study identified the need of periodic and regular training programs on BFHI to educate the staff.
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