Aiming to enhance the early breastfeeding, the state government is asserting the involvement of fathers to promote exclusive breastfeeding of the children till six months of age.

According to the minister of the state women and child development and social welfare department, an attempt is being made to bring the community forward in helping the mother into exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of her child’s life. “Breastfeeding should not be discussed with the mothers alone,” said women and child development and social welfare minister Dr Shashi Panja.

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“Workers at anganwadis have begun to discuss the benefits of breastfeeding to the fathers of the newborn and other family members. This awareness building exercise should start immediately with the conception of a child so that the entire family comes forward in helping the mother into breastfeeding,” she added.

Dr Panja was speaking at the programme organised by UNICEF along with The Bengal Obstetric and Gynaecological Society to observe World Breastfeeding Week. According to the minister, 53 per cent women in the state exclusively breastfeed their child for the first six months after birth. The department is to percolate the data in the field level to boost breastfeeding.

Echoing the assertions, Dr Md Monjur Hossain, chief of UNICEF in West Bengal urged the fathers to help a new mother in breastfeeding. “It is not only a mother’s responsibility alone. Breastfeeding creates a psychological bond between a mother and the child and it also stops excess carbon emissions by preventing fuel burning to boil non-human milk,” said Dr Hossain.

Understanding the benefits of breastfeeding, Dr Basab Mukherjee, president of The Bengal Obstetric and Gynaecological Society, said, “Skin-to-skin contact along with suckling at the breast stimulates the mother’s production of breast milk, including colostrum. It is the baby’s ‘first vaccine’ which is extremely rich in nutrients and antibodies.”