Correct diet for expecting mothers and 25% more than usual.
Mother's first milk is the best, make sure the child gets it.
First 6 months the child should only be fed mother's milk and nothing else.
When the child enters the 7th month, balance mother's milk with a nutritious diversified diet.
The vast majority of Indian families and women do not follow these practices, contributing significantly to the high prevalence of malnutrition and disease in children under five years of age.
- 75% of new mothers are anaemic and most put on less weight during pregnancy than they should. This leads to unhealthy foetal growth, low birth weight and non-genetic congenital abnormalities in babies.
- Colostrum is essential because it prepares the baby's digestive system for the mature milk that the baby will receive in the next few days. Colostrum is rich in nutrients such as zinc, calcium and vitamins.
- Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months reduces infant mortality due to protection from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea or pneumonia, and helps for a quicker recovery during illness.
- From the seventh month, breast milk is no longer enough to meet the nutritional needs of the infant. Timely, adequate, frequent and appropriate complementary feeding should be started.
The Poshan video series addresses these problems by reinforcing the following key messages
- Expecting mothers should get the correct diet and quarter portions more than usual.
- Mother's first milk is the best, don't throw it away and make sure the child gets it.
- For the first six months the child should only be fed mother's milk and nothing else, not even water.
- When the child enters the seventh month, balance mothers milk with a nutritious diversified diet.
The 4 Poshan videos, in 12 languages, focus on better nutrition practices and the prevention of child malnutrition. They reinforce the following key messages:
