India has seen a widening gap between initiating breastfeeding soon after childbirth and sustaining exclusive breastfeeding through the first six months, with the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) showing a decline in exclusive breastfeeding even as early initiation has improved.
What Happened
“India has made progress in helping mothers start breastfeeding soon after birth, but many struggle to continue exclusively for the first six months.
Sarath Gopalan, president of the Nutrition Society of India and senior consultant paediatric gastroenterologist at Madhukar Rainbow Children’s Hospital, said many mothers want to breastfeed but find it difficult to continue exclusively for six months. Often, the challenges begin after they leave the hospital, when they may not have the same support and guidance,” he said. Adhunika Prakash, founder of Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers, said breastfeeding should be treated as a public health priority rather than an individual responsibility. “Closing this gap requires greater awareness, stronger support systems, and evidence-based guidance for every mother,” she said, calling for comprehensive lactation education in medical and nursing curricula and access to skilled lactation counselling irrespective of socioeconomic background.
