Colostrum Feeding among Newborns Visiting the Outpatient Department of Pediatrics of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Colostrum is the thick yellowish breast milk that is produced during the first 3-5 days of childbirth. Feeding colostrum protects the newborn from various diseases, thus promoting the overall well-being of the newborn. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of colostrum feeding among newborns visiting the Department of Pediatrics in a tertiary care centre.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done among infants presenting to the Department of Pediatrics in a tertiary care centre. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 2078/079/107). The duration of study was six month from 12 February 2022 to 12 August 2022. A pre-designed questionnaire was used for face-to-face interviews. Convenience sampling was done. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated.

Results: Among 350 newborns, colostrum was fed to 305 (87.14%) (83.63-90.65, 95% Confidence Interval) newborns. A total of 180 (59.02%) were breastfed within 1 hour of delivery.

Conclusions: The prevalence of colostrum feeding was higher in our study than in other studies done in similar settings.

Keywords: colostrum; exclusive breastfeeding; newborns; prevalence.