Exclusive Breast Feeding Habits among Mothers with Infants Under the age of five who were visiting an Outpatient Clinic (OPD) at a Tertiary Health Care Center

Background: The majority of mothers do not exclusively breastfeed young babies and squander colostrum. The purpose of our current research remained to evaluate exclusive breast-feeding habits among women with people under the age of five who were visiting an outpatient clinic at a tertiary care center. Appropriate breast-feeding habits are on the decrease. Methodology: A cross-sectional research was conducted on 260 women who came to a Gynecological and Obstetrical OPD or ward with at least single baby aged 1 to 6. They were questioned about their demographics and breast-feeding habits. Results: 117/260 (43%) of them breastfed exclusively, while the remainder utilized formula milk or cow's milk in addition to breast milk. Solitary 43/260 (18%) of the moms had provided colostrum to their babies, while 152/260 (60%) had administered Ghutra (a traditional pre-lacteal feed, mostly honey). Mothers who have been uniparous, housewives, lived in joint households, came from middle-class families, and gave birth vaginally had better breast-feeding habits than some others. Whenever breast feeding habits were graded and classified, 44/260 (19.7 percent) had excellent practice, 64/260 (30 percent) had acceptable practice, and 117/260 (43 percent) had bad practice. 220/260 (87.6%) of the mothers had breastfed their infants, whereas 28/260 (12.7%) had not. Conclusion: The review highlights the need of improving exclusively breast feeding as well as colostrum administration techniques. Keywords: Breast feeding, exclusive feeding, colostrum.