Factors influencing initiation of breastfeeding in an urban set up.

Breastfeeding is traditional in our country and has been practiced through the centuries. In recent years there has been a decline in this practice due to various reasons. It has also been associated with myths and superstitions like colostrum being bad for the baby and insufficient milk during the first three days. Hence a prospective study was conducted to assess the knowledge and attitudes towards breast feeding in the mothers admitted for delivery. The aims of the study were to: (i) know the time of initiation of first breast feed; and (ii) identify factors that could be responsible for delayed initiation of breastfeeding.