32 ISSN: Applied http://ijfaas.com Institute of Food Science and Nutrition Faculty of Agricultural Sciences & Technology Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan 1. Introduction Malnutrition is a common health problem of Pakistan and according to National nutrition survey 2011, 15% of the children are severely malnourished and poor feeding practices that lack of breast feeding and complementary feeding contributes a lot to malnutrition (Agha, 2005). Adequate nutrition is essential in early childhood to ensure healthy growth and development of child (Liu et al., 2012). Breast milk is elixir of life for babies and is available free of cost with no storage issues everywhere but now people are refusing to get its benefits (Ilyas & Rizvi, 2006). The reduction of infant and young child malnutrition is essential for the achievement of millennium development goals (MDGs) and for that importance of breastfeeding is accepted globally (MDGs, 2013). In 2001, World Health Organization declared that infant should be exclusively breast fed for six months and initiation of complementary feeding is necessary after six months along with breastfeeding. It is stated that millions of deaths could be prevented each year if all babies should be breast feed for 4-6 months and there is early initiation of complementary feeding (WHO, 2002). Non breast fed babies have 11 times more chances of diarrhea and 15 time more chances of having pneumonia as compared to breastfed babies. In spite of too much benefits of breastfeeding mothers are now not will to nurture their babies with this precious gift of nature and prefer bottle feeding (Boccolini et al., 2011). According to Pakistan demographic and health survey 2012-2013 just 37% of children below 6 months are breast fed and rate of early initiation of breast feeding is just 28% (Bhutta et al., 2013; NIPS, 2013). Recently for the management of malnourished infants less than 6 months a project MAMI, Management of Acute Malnutrition is introduced with an objective to establish breast feeding in malnourished children along with early initiation of complementary feeding (MAMI, 2010). If we have to improve health statistics we have to focus on primary health care and preventive pediatrics and Awareness regarding breast feeding and complementary feeding in mothers of children with severe acute malnutrition at stabilization centre Multan July, 2015 : Volume 01, Issue 01 Original Article Abstract Breast feeding is the most natural way of feeding the infants and help to reduce child mortality and morbidity and millions of deaths could be prevented each year if mothers were aware of benefits of exclusive breast feeding for 4 -6 months and early initiation of breast feeding. In current study, awareness regarding breast feeding and complementary feeding in mothers of severely malnourished children was evaluated. The results showed that 99% mothers considered breast milk safe and effective but practically only 23% babies were breast fed while 77% were bottle fed. According to 58% mothers, there should be a early initiation of breast feeding, while 57% were un aware of the facts that clostrum should be given while 43% (43/100) of then considered it unhealthy and non effective. The current awareness reveals that most of the mothers prefer to give commercially available foods for their infants instead of breast feeding. This situation is alarming regarding child health and there is need to educate the mothers especially about the beneficial and health curing effects of breast feeding History Submitted: Feb 10, 2015 Revised: June 08, 2015 Online: July 01, 2015 Keywords Awareness Breast feeding Malnutrition Child health, Complementary feeding Toxicity Toxicity Saadia Khan* a , Imran Iqbal a , Reema Arshad a a Department of preventive pediatrics, Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan *Correspondence Author: Saadia Khan e.mail: drkhanchc@gmail.com