Newborn Feeding Practices among Postnatal Mothers and their Awareness and Attitude toward Human Milk Donation: A Cross-sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Institute of Kolkata.

Introduction: Human Milk Banking (HMB) has emerged as an effective strategy to provide pasteurized Donor Human Milk (DHM) when a mother's own milk is unavailable or insufficient. This study assessed newborn feeding practices and awareness and attitude toward human milk donation among postnatal mothers. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for 3 months among 206 mothers admitted to postnatal wards under a tertiary care institute of Kolkata. The mothers were selected by systematic random sampling, and face-to-face interviews were conducted using an interview schedule, which also included an observation checklist to assess the newborn feeding practices. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed as applicable. Results: The mean age of study participants was 25.1 (±2.9) years. Almost 92.1% of mothers fed their newborns with breast milk. Around 63% were unaware that DHM is the best alternative for preterm infants when mothers' own milk is unavailable. Nearly half (49%) reportedly had Conclusion: Almost half of the mothers had low awareness and unfavorable attitude toward human milk donation. Increased awareness campaigns, workshops are needed to be conducted to generate more awareness regarding milk donation and HMB.