Importance Of Exclusive Breastfeeding Research Articles

Aktif Cegah Stunting Kelompok 43 KKM Uniba Tekankan Pentingnya Asi Eksklusif bagi Kesehatan Anak

Group 43 Student Work Lectures (KKM) at Bina Bangsa University (Uniba) participated in the government's efforts to promote the prevention and reduction of stunting rates in Cilegon City. This socialization and counseling activity was carried out at the Sakinah Residence Posyandu with Midwife Lia Chaerunisah and the Head of Kalitimbang Subdistrict, M Uffan. Field Assistant Lecturer, Tiara Nofiana, emphasized that this activity really helps the community in determining the right steps for the golden growth period and cognitive development of children. The main focus of socialization is empowering stunting prevention through education regarding the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, providing appropriate MPASI, and providing nutritious food for babies and toddlers. Apart from that, the Uniba 43 KKM Group is also active in posyandu activities such as weighing babies and providing education about healthy living and the importance of nutritious food. This program received a positive response from the community and the posyandu, indicating the success of collaboration in efforts to prevent stunting in the area.

The Effect of Providing Exclusive Breastfeeding Counseling on the Self-Efficacy of Breastfeeding Mothers

Exclusive breastfeeding is a baby's best food for growth and development in the first six months. Breastfeeding mothers need high confidence and self-efficacy that they can provide breastmilk for their babies. The provision of counseling services allows mothers to gain a comprehensive understanding of proper breastfeeding techniques and the benefits of breast milk for infants. This study aimed to determine the effect of exclusive breastfeeding counseling on breastfeeding mothers' self-efficacy.This study was a pre-experiment study with a one group pretest-postest design. The sample in this study amounted to 33 exclusive breastfeeding mothers ≤ 6 months which is the total pupulation. The data obtained were processed and analyzed with the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test.The results of the statistical test analysis showed a change in efficacy after counseling of 15.50 with a significance value (Sig.) of 0.000. That is, there is an effect of exclusive breastfeeding counseling on the self-efficacy of breastfeeding mothers.The conclusion of this study is that there is an effect of exclusive breastfeeding counseling on the self-efficacy of breastfeeding mothers. It is hoped that this research can be used as information to carry out midwifery care, so that officers can provide maximum services to improve the quality of health services, especially counseling and providing information about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding so that there is no drop out and breastfeeding continues for up to 2 years.

A Correlation Study Of Breast Milk Production Among Indonesia Mother : The Role Of Baby Formula Milk Feeding History 0-6 Months Old

Background: Continuity of breastfeeding can be influenced by social support from other people who interact with the mother so that the mother can feel physical and psychological comfort. The purpose was correlation between history beginning giving formula milk with breast milk production in Soko Tuban and Kendawangan Ketapang. Method: Cross sectional approach, correlational analytical research method . The population was all mother who has baby aged 0-6 months a total of 9 1 respondents , the sample is 74 respondents , the author used a simple random sampling technique. Data analysis using the contingency coefficient test. Result: The results show that the majority or 66.2% of babies aged 0-6 months were given formula milk, and less than half or 33.8% of babies aged 0-6 months were not given formula milk, the majority or 60.8% of mothers' breast milk production was not smoothly, and less than part or 39.2% of the mother's breast milk production was smooth and of the 49 babies who were given formula milk, more than part of 44 people (59.5%) were in the category of non-smooth milk production, while of the 25 babies who were not given formula milk less than half in the smooth breast milk production category as many as 24 people (32.4%). Discussion: From these two variables, after being tested statistically using the Contingency Coefficient test, a significance value = 0.000 < a(0.05) was obtained, which means that H 1 was accepted, so that there was a correlation between the initial history of giving formula milk and the mother's breast milk production with a strong level of correlation 0.639. Conlussion: Researchers advise the public, especially mothers who have babies aged 0-6 months, that families should take the time to search for information. and come to health workers in order to seek information about The importance of exclusive breastfeeding so that families can support breastfeeding mothers in providing exclusive breastfeeding .

COMPREHENSIVE MIDWIFERY OF MRS. E IN PMB E CIBEBER DISTRICT CIANJUR REGENCY: CASE REPORT

Introduction: Pregnancy is a woman's highly anticipated life cycle. After pregnancy, the woman will enter the process of childbirth, postpartum, and intermediate period. This cycles can cause physical and psychological changes that can cause discomfort for women who cannot adapt. Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide comprehensive care starting from pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and infants. Method: This Final Project report used a case study method with data collection carried out from March to May 2022 in PMB E, Cibeber District, Cianjur Regency. Result: Mrs. E did an USG before giving birth and the result showed that her amniotic water had begun to decrease so she was referred to the hospital for induction. Induction of labor using 5 IU oxytocin drip infused into 500 ml RL at a speed of 20tpm. The delivery process was done in a spontaneous way without complications. At the time of postpartum Mrs. E's legs were swollen and Mrs. E had given formula to her baby in the first week of postnatal. The author carried out care of the problems experienced by the mother, such as counseling for mobilization and the importance of exclusive breastfeeding. This treatment was successful in overcoming the mother's problems and preventing complications. Conclusion: Comprehensive midwifery care has proven to be beneficial and important to do. Midwives as service providers need to implement and improve this method in the care they do.

Prevalence and determinants of suspected developmental delays among 12-month-old children in northeast of Iran: a large-scale population-based study

BackgroundEarly identification of suspected developmental delays (SDDs) is crucial for planning early interventions. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of SDDs and the associated determinants in children aged 12...

Junk food use and neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes in infants in low-resource settings.

Feeding infants a sub-optimal diet deprives them of critical nutrients for their physical and cognitive development. The objective of this study is to describe the intake of foods of low nutritional value (junk foods) and identify the association with growth and developmental outcomes in infants up to 18 months in low-resource settings. This is a secondary analysis of data from an iron-rich complementary foods (meat versus fortified cereal) randomized clinical trial on nutrition conducted in low-resource settings in four low- and middle-income countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, Pakistan, and Zambia). Mothers in both study arms received nutritional messages on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months with continued breastfeeding up to at least 12 months. This study was designed to identify the socio-demographic predictors of feeding infants' complementary foods of low nutritional value (junk foods) and to assess the associations between prevalence of junk food use with neurodevelopment (assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II) and growth at 18 months. 1,231 infants were enrolled, and 1,062 (86%) completed the study. Junk food feeding was more common in Guatemala, Pakistan, and Zambia than in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 7% of the infants were fed junk foods at 6 months which increased to 70% at 12 months. Non-exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months, higher maternal body mass index, more years of maternal and paternal education, and higher socioeconomic status were associated with feeding junk food. Prevalence of junk foods use was not associated with adverse neurodevelopmental or growth outcomes. The frequency of consumption of junk food was high in these low-resource settings but was not associated with adverse neurodevelopment or growth over the study period.

Nutritional status assessment of 6-59 months age children in rural Yadgir, Karnataka state, India

Background: Childhood undernutrition contributes to childhood diseases and is a major cause of child mortality in India. According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 32% under-five children in India were under-weight, and 36% were stunted. In Karnataka, the prevalence of underweight among under-five children was 33% and stunting 35%. The objective of the study was to assess the nutritional status of under five-years children in rural communities. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 1887 under-five children from rural Yadgir, Karnataka. Weight and height of children were measured using standard protocols. The World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro software version 3.2.2.1 was used for analyzing data. Children whose Z-scores on weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height indices were below -2SD from the median of the WHO reference population were considered as underweight, stunted, and wasted respectively. Results: The result revealed that 53.6% of children were stunted, 39.4% were underweight and 15.3% were wasted. Severe forms of underweight, stunting and wasting were observed among 9.4%, 24.2% and 4% children respectively. The frequency of being underweight and stunted has increased with age, which was accelerated after 6 months and about 34% and 52% of children were underweight and stunted by the age 12-23 months. While wasting was higher among children aged 6-11 (24.2%) months than their counterparts. Conclusions: Special attention is required to reduce nutrition vulnerability among young children (12-24 months). An appropriate strategy needs to be implemented to educate rural mothers on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices.

Management of Expressed Breast Milk as a Strategy to Optimize of Exclusive Breastfeeding

Exclusive breastfeeding had many benefits for mothers and babies. Maternal employment was one of the factors that was closely related to the decline in exclusive breastfeeding coverage. Therefore, there was a need for education for mothers of toddlers to continue providing breast milk even though they were working. This community service program aimed to provide education to mothers of toddlers on how to manage expressed breast milk so that even though the mother was working, her child still received breast milk. The method used was to provide health education about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and procedures for managing expressed breast milk. The number of Posyandu Balita participants was 123 toddlers and their mothers, but around 61 toddlers and their mothers actively participated in Posyandu. The demographic target for this community service activity is mothers of toddlers who were registered at Posyandu and were willing to take part in educational activities until completion, they were 30 mothers of toddlers. After being given education, an evaluation was carried out by giving questions to participants. Increased knowledge was known when participants were able to answer questions after conducting outreach activities. Before education process 85% of participants said that they did not understand and after education process 100% participants said that they understood.

The Effectiveness of the HYPO Method (Hypnobreastfeeding and Oxytocin Massage) with Breast Milk Expenditure in Postpartum Post-Sc Mothers at RSIA Cahaya Bunda Cirebon City in 2023

With all these factors, it helps mothers and their families, especially their husbands, to be able to do oxytocin massage and hypnosis so that they can release the hormones prolactin and oxytocin to trigger milk release. (Josefa, 2013). The importance of exclusive breastfeeding can be seen from the role of the world, namely in 2006 the World Health Organization (WHO) issued Child Growth Standards which were then applied throughout the world whose contents emphasized the importance of giving only breast milk to babies from birth to 6 months of age. (Prasetyono, 2009). Apart from that, the importance of breastfeeding was also seen in world events, namely the World Breastfeeding Week in August 2008, The World Alliance For Breast Feeding Action (WABA) chose the theme Mother Support: Going For the Gold. The meaning of the theme is a movement to invite everyone to increase support for mothers to provide their babies with gold standard food. This study uses comparative research. That is using a control group design research. In this study there were two groups, namely the control group without treatment and the intervention group with treatment, then the results were measured through observation before being processed in the SPSS test. In the control group without intervention, the results of the majority of breastfeeding were ≤ 20 ml as much as 95%. Meanwhile, in the intervention group with the treatment, there was a majority of > 20 ml of breast milk expenditure, as much as 90%. The average value of breastfeeding was 34.50 ml for the intervention group, 15 ml for the control group. There is an effectiveness between the HIPO method (Hypnobreastfeeding and Oxytocin Massage) and milk production in postpartum post SC mothers at RSIA Cahaya Bunda Cirebon with a significance value of 0.000 <0.05.

SOSIALISASI TENTANG ASI EKSLUSIF DAN PRAKTEK PEMBUATAN MP-ASI DI WILAYAH KERJA PUSKESMAS GAMBESI

ASI (breast milk) and MP-ASI (complementary foods for breast milk) have an important role in the development and health of babies. These two types of feeding play a crucial role in providing the nutrients needed for optimal growth and development of children. Unfortunately, there are still many mothers who do not provide exclusive breast milk, and what is even more worrying is that they give additional food when the baby is 4 months old. The team's efforts include outreach/counseling about the benefits of breast milk and MP-ASI. This activity aims to increase public knowledge about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and continue providing appropriate MP-ASI. The method used was lectures through health outreach and direct practice targeting 20 people in Fitu village. The stages are preparation, implementation, and evaluation using a questionnaire. The results obtained were that after being given socialization about breast milk and the practice of making MP-ASI, it could be seen that there was an increase in participants' knowledge about breast milk and its various benefits. The public can find out how to make MP-ASI by themself. With this outreach, it is hoped that the community, especially mothers, would pay more attention to nutrition for children's growth and development, one of which is by providing exclusive breast milk followed by providing MP-ASI to create a quality generation (HR)

Experiences of Lactating Mothers on Breastfeeding and Additional Food Practices

The rate of exclusive breastfeeding and additional food practices rate remained low in Nepal. It's quite surprising, given the active promotion of breastfeeding and additional food practices by individuals, family members, communities, health institutions, hospital NGOs, INGOs, and the government. Nevertheless, we should continue to spread awareness about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and healthy food practices for infants. The main objective of this study was to explore the experience of lactating mothers, who often struggle to manage additional food practices for their babies. The study was based on narrative theory and included a small sample group of two mothers, who shared their experiences of breastfeeding. Despite the challenges, the mothers in the study remained committed to providing their babies with the best possible nutrition and care. By sharing their stories, they hope to help other mothers who may be facing similar difficulties. During the research, a qualitative-descriptive research design was adopted, and purposive sampling was used to select participants. The data was gathered using verbatim audio recordings of in-depth interviews, and interview transcriptions were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis approach. It was found that all participants were still breastfeeding at the time of the interview. The analysis of the interview transcriptions generated 46 nodes, 8 sub-themes, and 2 key themes. The two key themes that emerged were "Challenge and support for breastfeeding" and "Nutrition and additional food practices." The research provided valuable insights into the experiences of breastfeeding mothers and the factors that impact their feeding practices. Our findings show that these mothers adopt positive practices such as feeding colostrum, exclusively breastfeeding, timely introduction of additional foods, and continuing to breastfeed. To ensure that more mothers have successful breastfeeding journeys, it is crucial to increase public awareness and support for breastfeeding through education, social support, and laws that promote it. Additionally, involving family members in the process can significantly contribute to the success of breastfeeding.

Social Factors Contributing to Stunting for Children under Five Years: A Case of Iringa District Council, Tanzania

This study presented the findings on the factors contributing to stunting for children under five years in Iringa District Council. This study involved four wards and two villages from each ward. The target population for this study included parents with stunted children under five years and 26 key informants. The study employed mixed approaches which involve both qualitative and quantitative research approaches, Cross-sectional research design was used. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to get parents with stunted children and key respondents. The study used both primary and secondary data to acquire intended information. Questionnaires, interview and Document review was used by a researcher. The high prevalence of stunting was revealed by this study to be influenced by social factors such as lack of nutritional knowledge, large size of household members, child characteristics, inadequate dietary intake, lack of knowledge on purse of a thousand days, poor child care practice, excessive use of alcohol, poor breastfeeding and complementary feeding of early milk were found as the key factors influencing stunting. Government could come up with innovative strategies to educate parents about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding until six months, feeding practices, purse of thousand days, and the strategies of addressing excessive use of alcohol should be implemented. The researcher suggests further research to be conducted to analyse a bigger area, also future researchers have a duty to focus on the additional indicators of stunting prevalence that could not be included owing to time and resource constraints.

What are The Causes of Exclusive Breastfeeding Failure? : A Systematic Review

Exclusive breastfeeding has tremendous health benefits for infants, including boosting the immune system, reducing the risk of disease, and supporting optimal growth and development. Although the importance of exclusive breastfeeding is widely recognized, there are still failures in exclusive breastfeeding practices in many countries, including the factors that cause them. This study aims to analyze the factors that lead to exclusive breastfeeding failure. This study used a systematic literature review method. The data collection technique in this study was carried out by searching literature in the Google Scholar and Scopus databases. Data analysis was carried out using qualitative methods. The results showed that the factors inhibiting exclusive breastfeeding were infant mother's knowledge, family support including mother, mother-in-law, and husband, mother's employment status, breast care, breastfeeding coupled with formula and complementary foods, and milk production during breastfeeding

Barriers to exclusive breastfeeding in first 6 months of life in infants born in a tertiary care center in Hyderabad

Background: Exclusive breast feeding during first 6-months has been proven to ensure growth and development of children. The habit of Exclusive breast feeding is often overlooked by mothers due to various factors. Therefore, this study aims to identify the barriers to Exclusive Breast Feeding. Methods: This is a prospective study conducted from August 2018 to October 2020 in a tertiary care hospital in Hyderabad among 155 mothers with neonate to 6 months old infants. Data was collected through face-to-face interview using premade questionnaire and a predetermined sample size of 155 was considered. Results: The prevalence of exclusive breast feeding was 20%. The barriers to exclusive breastfeeding practice were identified as lower socio-economic status (59.4%), Lack of formal education (52.9%), lack of counselling about breast feeding (10.3%), early return to work (32.2%), poor family support (49.03%), 22-25years mean age group (36.7%) , use of bottle feeding (16.3%) and pacifiers (12.2%). It was also observed that mothers experienced difficulties such as cracks (2.58%) and suction problems (2.58%) currently, and breast pain (2.58%) previously. Conclusions: Promoting education of women especially in lower socio-economic sector and emphasizing need of avoiding complementary feeding rather counselling women regarding importance of exclusive breastfeeding during first 6-months and negative impact of early return to work, and providing health care for the difficulties faced during breastfeeding and encouraging family support are recommendations to improve exclusive breastfeeding practice.

Factors associated with the incidence of stunting in children aged 6-24 months in the Cileungsi area

Stunting is a chronic malnutrition problem caused by a lack of nutritional intake over a long period of time, resulting in growth disorders, namely short children. This study aims to determine the factors associated with the incidence of stunting in toddlers aged 6-24 months in Cileungsi area. This method of research is a correlational study with a cross sectional approach. Sampling was carried out using non-probability sampling using total sampling. The sample in this study was 50 respondents in the Cileungsi area, namely mothers with toddlers aged 6-24 months who were willing to be respondents. Data was collected using interviews and height observations. The results showed that 56% of children aged 6-24 months experienced stunting (28 children), 3% (6 children) had low birth weight history, 14% (7 mothers) had hemoglobin levels during pregnancy is anemia, 56% did not receive exclusive breastfeeding (28 children). The results of the multivariate analysis showed that exclusive breastfeeding was the variable that had the significant relationship with the incidence of stunting in children aged 6-24 months in the Cileungsi area (p value = 0.000). Recommendations it is hoped that volunteer will always provide motivation, enthusiasm, education, and conduct home visits to the community regarding the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.

Hubungan Pengetahuan Ibu Terhadap Pemberian ASI Eksklusif di Wilayah Kerja Puskesmas Menteng Kota Palangka Raya

Breastfeeding is the first, main and best food at the beginning of the baby's natural life. In the working area of the Menteng Health Center, Palangka Raya City, it shows that there is still a low coverage of exclusive breastfeeding in the working area of the Menteng Health Center in Palangka Raya City. There are various factors that influence exclusive breastfeeding including maternal knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between maternal knowledge and exclusive breastfeeding in the work area of the Menteng Health Center in Palangka Raya City. This type of research is an analytical survey using a cross sectional design. The population of this study was mothers who had children aged 0-12 and the number of samplpes is 62 people. The sampling technique uses purposive sampling. Data analysis using Chi-Square. The results of this study showed there is a relationship between maternal knowledge and exclusive breastfeeding in the working area of the Menteng Health Center in Palangka Raya City (p value of: 0.000 < α: 0.05. There needs to be counseling on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and how to properly store breast milk to the community in the working area of the Menteng Health Center, Palangka Raya City.

Barriers to Exclusive Breastfeeding for Mothers in Tswelopele Municipality, Free State Province, South Africa: A Qualitative Study.

Despite the numerous advantages of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), the practice remains infrequently adopted in certain countries and is also associated with context-specific obstacles. Consequently, this study explores the experiences and opinions of mothers about the barriers and support systems of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), in a bid to promote this practice in the Tswelopele Municipality of the Free State Province of South Africa. In-depth individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 mothers, using an audio recorder after receiving their permission to record the interviews. The analysis of the collected data revealed that opinions clustered around four topics: mother-related barriers to EBF, baby-related barriers to EBF, support systems to enhance EBF, and complications caused by barriers to EBF. The findings from these themes and sub-themes imply that the maternal factor is strongly influenced by other factors regarding the success or failure of this practice. These include extreme breast discomfort, maternal illness, the fear that the mother's milk supply is insufficient, a lack of understanding about EBF, and the influence of different cultural factors. When mothers encounter difficulties with breastfeeding, these challenges may impede their ability to practice EBF. In addition, while some participants were eager to breastfeed their babies and continued EBF for a period of six months, their infant's health and behavioral issues prevented them from doing so. Some of these problems included infant sickness and crying. From the prenatal to the postnatal period, mothers and their families should have access to breastfeeding education and counseling, along with sufficient time to make informed infant nutrition decisions. During counseling sessions, conversations with these stakeholders should focus on fostering a realistic understanding regarding what to expect when breastfeeding for the very first time, debunking breastfeeding-related misconceptions, and addressing inaccurate information and concerns. In addition, health professionals must be empathic and respectful of the mother's traditions and cultures and must also educate mothers and their families on the importance of EBF. Our list of themes and sub-themes could be utilized to enlighten exclusive breastfeeding challenges and potential mitigation efforts, not only in Tswelopele Municipality, South Africa but also in a number of other geographical contexts.

Penyuluhan Kesehatan tentang Pijat Oksitosin Pada Ibu Hamil Trimester II dan III

Oxytocin massage is massage along the spine (vertebrae) to the fifth-sixth costae and is an attempt to stimulate the hormones prolactin and oxytocin after childbirth. Oxytocin massage is one of the solutions to overcome non-smooth milk production, reduce engorgement and reduce breast milk blockage. Oxytocin is what can calm the mother, so that the milk comes out automatically. Midwives, husbands or family members are people who can help mothers in providing oxytocin massage therapy. The purpose of this community service is to increase the knowledge and skills of mothers, husbands and family members in preparing pregnant women so that the production and release of breast milk runs smoothly. The method used is counseling and demonstration or practice of implementing oxytocin massage. From the community service activities that were carried out at the Prosperous Posyandu in the Work Area of ​​the Jalan Gedang Health Center in August 2023 for 15 pregnant women, it was found that there were still pregnant women who did not know about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, Oxytocin Massage and how to practice it. Massage is done for about 5 minutes with 5 actions or massage on the backKeywords: Oxytocin Massage, Pregnant Women TM II and III

Feeding practices among under two years children in urban slum, Bengaluru: a cross sectional study

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding is the optimum method of feeding in first 6 months of life. It meets nutritional requirement of baby. There are practices of early introduction of top feeds and late introduction of semi-solid feed in urban slums in India. This study was conducted to assess feeding practices among under 2 years children in an urban slum area. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in one of the urban slums in Bengaluru among 190 caregivers of children aged from 6 months to 2 years from January 2023 to March 2023. Questionnaire was used to collect information regarding feeding practices and data was analysed using JAMOVI v2.3.26. Results: Among 155 (81.58%) of the mothers were literates, 97 (51.06%) belongs to class IV socioeconomic status. Regarding feeding practices, 65 (34.21%) of them initiated breastfeeding between 1-4 hours after delivery, 137 (72.11%) of them fed colostrum to the babies, pre-lacteal feeds were given in 46 (24.21%) of children, exclusive breastfeeding was done in 106 (55.79%) of babies. There was significant association between exclusive breastfeeding with caregivers’ socioeconomic status, type of family (p<0.05). There was significant association between pre-lacteal feeds with mothers’ education status, socio-economic status (p<0.05). Conclusions: There is a need for health education regarding importance of exclusive breastfeeding and ill-effects of pre-lacteal feeds. Sociodemographic factors also play an important role in these feeding practices. Hence government should take necessary steps to improve some of the demographic factors who are living in urban slums.

Edukasi Mengenai Pentingnya ASI Eksklusif melalui Metode Ular Tangga

The exclusive breastfeeding coverage in Panca Makmur Village has not met the target. Based on a situation analysis from collected data, it was found that the coverage of exclusive breastfeeding in Panca Makmur Village was only 50.7%, while the coverage of exclusive breastfeeding in Dusun 3 was only 38.9%. The aim of this study was to educate pregnant women on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding. The intervention involved a pre-test followed by a snakes and ladders game and a post-test. The evaluation of the post-test questionnaire revealed an increase in pregnant women's knowledge. After the counseling activities, the proportion of participants with good knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding increased from 20% to 80%. These findings suggest that periodic counseling by the village midwife can improve awareness of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers who may not know its importance and may neglect their child's needs.