) -.%, ,_ .- : ‘;a Indiin J. Ptzv. Sot. Md ‘Vol: 35 No.

1 d 2,2004
_,;; ;- .i :’ I

COLOSTRUM AND PRELACTEAL FEEDING PRACTICES

FOLLOWED BY FAMILIES OF PAVEMENT AND
“:
ROADSIDE SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS
! _ .::.: ‘:
,~ Anuradha Goyle’, Preeti Jain*, Swati Vyas’, Harsha Sarah,
1 Neetu Shekhawat*

ABSTRACT
.. . . ,_ _ ,a’ :

.:, ‘*; ‘_
The study was conducted to assess the co/o&rum and prelacfeal feeding
practices of pavement and roadside squatter settlement families in Jaipur city. 16 was
found that 85.7% of the mothers discarded co/o&-urn. Prelacteal feeds were given by
96.6% of ihe mothers. The prelacteal feeds included plain water (48.30/q), jaggery with
ghee/oil in the form of pellets which were stuck to the palate (46.2%), sugar water
(28.2%), gripe water (24.1%), jaggery water (20.7%), omum (ajwain) water (6.8%), milk
(5.4%), honey (2.0%), tea (0.7%) and omum (ajwain) with ghee/oil (0.3%).
‘. .

INTRODUCTION
Colostrum is the first breast milk, which is thicker and yellower than later milk and comes only
in small amounts in the first few days. Colostrum is all the food and fluid needed at this time- no
supplements are necessary, noi even water’. Unfortunately, most ignorant and illiterate mothers
discard colostrum for various reasons2’3. Moreover, the mothers initiate the infants on pre-lacteals.

1. Associate Professor, 2, M.Sc. Student, Department of Home Science, University of Rajasthan,

Jaiour- 302004

indexed in : Index Medicus (IMSEAR), INSDOC, NCI Current Content, Database of Alcohol 8 Drug Abuse, National
Database in TB &Allied Diseases, IndMED, Entered in WHO CD ROM for South East Asia.
 . _ */
Anuradha Goyle et al. 8% h2u.? wH%%K;;) Colostrum and Prelacteal Feeding Practkes

-
Prelacteal feeds are given under the belief that they act as laxatives, cleansing agents or re-
hydrating agents4 or as a means of clearing the mconium5. Unfortunately, they are not aware that
prelacteals could be a source of contamination too.
A lot of work in this area has been carried out in slums and in urban and rural areas.*-15
However, there is a paucity of data from squatter settlements. The present study was designed to look
into the colostrum and prelacteal feeding practices of the families of pavement and roadside squatter
settlements.

MATERIALS AND METHODS r

-.*
No enumeration of roadside squatter settlements had been made in Jaipur city when the
present study was conducted from March 1999 to March 2001. The Jaipur Nagar Nigam and the
Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) officials provided some information on the whereabouts of a few
squatter settlements; the rest of the information was obtained from the residents of the squatter
settlements and their leaders, as also local people living nearby. Inmates of squatter settlements on
the pavements and on vacant plots alongside the main roads were approached for data collection.
The sample comprised 294 families, which were purposively selected from 42 squatter settlements. In
all, 294 mothers were interviened with the help of an interview schedule on the breast and infant
feeding practices followed by them.

RESULTS
TABLE-l : Colostrum and prelacteal feeding practices of families of pavement and roadside
squatter settlements

the mothers was poor (98.3%). Most of the

families had a nuclear family structure (84.5%).
The families were engaged in activities
generating low incomes. They were exposed to
the ill effects of the environment.
It is evident from Table-l that 14.3% mothers had
given colostrum, while 85.7% had deprived their
infants of this valuable food. Almost all the JaggevWater
161 ( 20.7
mothers (96.6%) aave orelacteal feeds to their Ajwain Water 120 1 6.6
Indb J. Prev. Sot. MedVol: 35 !No.l Sz 2 59 Jan. -.Wne, 2004
 Anuradha Goyle et ail Colostrum and Prelacteal Feeding Practices

mothers (96.6%) gave prelacteal feeds to their Dairy Milk/Goat’s Milk/ 16 5.4
Cow’s Milk
children. . . . . _I _ Honey 6 2.0
- Tea 2 0.7 -.*
Ajwain With Ghee/Oil 1 0.3

The prelacteal feeds included plain water (48.3%), jaggery with ghee/oil in the form of pellets
which were stuck to the palate (46.2%), sugar water (28.2%), gripe water (24.1%), jaggery water
(20.7%), orqum (aiwain) water (6.8%), milk (5.4%), honey (2.0%), tea (0.7%) and omum (ajwain).with
ghee/oil (0.3%).

DISCUSSION . : 1 : :“I . ..: . .

CO~OSh.lIIl feeding: In the present study, only 14.3% of the mothers had fed colostrum to their
babies. The rest had discarded it as they thought it to be immature dirty milk and therefore harmful to
their infants. The results of Kumari et a? and Srivastava et a/’ corroborate those of the present study.
Kumari et a16 reported that 16.9% of the infants had been given colostrum by their mothers with an
urban background from Delhi. Srivastava et a/’ found in their study that colostrum was discarded by
82.89% mothers because they were ignorant of its advantages. In rural areas of Haryana, the
situation was even more dismal as revealed from a study by Punia ef ap, where only 0.66% of the
respondents had fed colostrum to their infants.

However, higher figures for colostrum feeding have also been reported. Subbulakshmi et a?
carried out a study on a low socio-economic group of women from urban slums and rural areas of
Maharashtra and Gujarat and noted that 22% of the mothers had fed colostrum to their infants. The
reasons cited by mothers for not feeding colostrum were elders’ negative attitude towards colostrum
feeding, dai’s prohibition, belief that it is bad for the child’s health, caesarean deliveries and absence
of colostrum secretion. About 31% of urban and 80% of rural mothers from Coimbatore did not feed
colostrum to their infantsg. Singh et a? reported from their study in some semi-arid rural areas of
Rajasthan that about 77% of the women discnrded colostrum due to different reasons: 42.7% women
considered it harmful to the infant, 30.7% L’. ,.xded it due to prevalent social customs or traditions.
However, 26.6% discarded it due to both. On the other hand, Ghosh” stated from his study on
colostrum feeding of healthy newborns that none of the babies were deprived of colostrum. It was
because all the babieshad been delivered :. ?ospital. Barring just a few studies, colostrum feeding

IndiiznJ. CFbv. Sec. ZMedVol: 35 No.1 d 2 60 Jan. -June, 2004

 Anuradha Goyle et al. Colostrum and Prelacteal Feeding Practiies

is not practiced in several parts of our country. The benefit of colostrum feeding has to be advocated
through mass media.
.”
PrdaCteal feeding: It was observed in the present study that prelacteal feeds were given to ’
96.6% of the infants. Prelacteal feeds included plain water, sugar / jaggery / ajwain water, milk, honey
and jaggery with ghee/oil. The results of the present study are in agreement with those referred to
here. Almost all the infants (97%) from a study conducted in rural Haryana were given prelacteal
feeds. Out of them, 12.0% received ‘/&and water, 64.7% jaggery and water, 14% honey, and 6%
. ajwain and ‘khancf’. Devadas et at3 also noted that 87.9% nursing mothers gave sugar water, honey
mixed with water, milk or jaggery as prelacteal feeds. Chhabra et at4 also demonstrated from their
study that in an urban resettlement colony of Delhi, 76.9% infants received prelacteal feeds. A
preparation of jaggery called ‘gur ghutir’ was the most popular form of prelacteal feed used. .

In a study by Ray et a/ 5, 73.2% of the newborns of an urban slum community of Varanasi

were administered prelacteal feeds within 3 hours and the remaining received them 6 hours after
birth. The prelacteal feeds in their study included diluted cow’s milk, goat’s milk, honey, sugar water ‘!
and milk constituted from commercial milk powder. The reasons cited for giving prelacteals were :
nourishment, thirsty/hungry, crying, to clear muconium and traditional to give. In Rajasthan, Singh et
a? revealed that 65.2% mothers gave jaggery water to infants, 33.2% a combination of (omum)
aiwain, jaggery and ghee, 28.6% tablets containing jaggery, ghee and omum (aiwain) in small
quantities (janam ghutti), while a few gave honey (3.0%) and glucose water (5.8%). This percentage <.\
is lower than that observed in the present study. However, prelacteals feeds are given to infants, the
percentages may vary in different studies4’ 6z 7~10-12*15.

It is disheartening to note that in this age of information and communication, a very large
number of mothers continue to administer prelacteal feeds to their infants. Prelacteal feeds could be a
source of contamination and their administration warrants concern from nutritionists and pediatricians
all over.

Acknowledgement: The first author is thankful to the UGC for financial assistance through
Minor Research project.
 .-- Colostrum and Prelacteal Feeding Practices
Anuradha Goyle et al.

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~qdibn 3. @zv. Sot. 5VedVol: 35 No. 1 Sz 2 62 1’ j’an -June, 2004