International Journal of Health Sciences & Research (www.ijhsr.org) 31 Vol.6; Issue: 1; January 2016 International Journal of Health Sciences and Research www.ijhsr.org ISSN: 2249-9571 Original Research Article Practices of Breast Feeding in Urban Community of Rewa City Madhya Pradesh India Meena Patel 1 , Sandeep Singh 2 Assistant Professor, 1 Department of Pediatrics, 2 Department of Community Medicine, Shyam Shah Medical College, Rewa, M.P. India Corresponding Author: Sandeep Singh Received: 01/12/2015 Revised: 16/12/2015 Accepted: 19/12/2015 ABSTRACT The breast feeding practices adopted in terms of duration, frequency and exclusive breast feeding and weaning, is one of the major strategies which help improve infants’ nutritional status and survival, for at least half of the almost 10 million deaths of children younger than 5 years old every year are a direct or indirect consequence of malnutrition. To evaluate the breast feeding practices adopted by women in urban community, and factors affecting the time of initiation of breast feeding, age of weaning, and food given to the baby other than breast milk this study was done. The present cross sectional study conducted on 250 women reveal that 91.4 % of mothers were able to start breast feeding within first hour of life after normal delivery. Out of 52 complicated/ assisted deliveries, 19 mothers were able to start breast feeding within 4 hours of life. The major reasons for delay in starting of breast feeding were uneasiness to mother and not having adequate breast milk. Exclusive breast feeding was practiced by 46.5 % of the mothers for first six month of life. The common reason given by mother for not giving exclusive breast feeding were no knowledge of exclusive breast feeding (53 %) and not having adequate breast milk (25%). So this study emphasizes the need of breast feeding education program regarding the duration of exclusive breast feeding and the age of weaning. Key words: Breast feeding, exclusive breast feeding, weaning. INTRODUCTION Breast feeding is rule rather than exception in most parts of India. During last two decades wealth of knowledge has accumulated to prove nutritional, anti- infective, anti fertility, psycho social and economic advantages of breast feeding. It is now established that the breast feeding practices adopted in terms of duration, frequency and exclusiveness of breast feeding and weaning of child is essential for our understanding of impact of breast feeding on complete physical, mental and psycho-social development of the child. [1,2] The change in infant feeding practices began in industrialized countries, and soon followed by educated female of underdeveloped countries by curtailing the duration of breast feeding. This practice is copied by uneducated counterpart of the urban and rural areas of underdeveloped countries. [2] Breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding in particular, is one of the major strategies which help improve infants’ nutrit ional status and survival, for at least half of the almost 10 million deaths of children younger than 5 years old every year are a direct or indirect consequence of malnutrition. [3] This is the reason why