Breastfeeding reduces risk of breast cancer
Speaking on the occasion, Collector Vetriselvi said that it is mandatory to feed the baby with breast milk immediately after birth. The immunity of breastfed babies is enhanced. Breastfeeding has benefits for the baby as well as the mother. Breastfeeding releases a natural hormone called oxytocin, which helps the mother to feel less stressed after childbirth.
Mothers who breastfeed for a long time have a lower risk of breast cancer. Breast milk contains all kinds of nutrients and that breastfeeding is sufficient from the time of birth to 6 months, and there is no need to give any solid or liquid foods. Kangaroo care strengthens the emotional bond between mother and child. Anganwadi staff should inform every pregnant and lactating woman in the Anganwadi area about the importance of breastfeeding, kangaroo care to keep the baby warm in the mother's lap, and other child care methods. Anganwadi staff should ensure that ANMs are seen to prevent anaemia and malnutrition, and that immunisations are administered regularly and health check-ups are conducted. Anganwadi staff should create awareness so that husbands and in-laws can support the mother in household chores for up to 6 months after delivery. They should ensure that breastfeeding rooms are set up in bus stands, cinema halls, malls, and other public places in the district. ICDS PD P Sharda said, 'As part of the Breastfeeding Week celebrations, we are making every pregnant and lactating woman in the district aware of the importance of breast milk.' She said that there are 24 breastfeeding rooms in the district and plans are being made to set up more.
CDPOs Padmavati and Tulasi, Legal Advisor Raghavamma, Anganwadi supervisors, and Anganwadi staff participated in the programme.
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Hans India
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Mizoram's 'Project BLOOM' gets national recognition for maternal, child healthcare
Aizawl: Mizoram's Lunglei district administration earned national recognition as its flagship maternal and child health initiative -- Project BLOOM -- was presented at the 'Best Practices Seminar' organised by the NITI Aayog at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, officials said on Friday. The NITI Aayog event celebrated successful interventions from 329 aspirational districts and 500 aspirational blocks across the country. An official statement said that under the theme "Transforming Health: Breakthrough Interventions", Lunglei Deputy Commissioner Navneet Mann presented the 'Project BLOOM (Better Living through Outreach, Optimal Maternal and Child Health)' in the event as one of the 19 selected best practices. Launched on June 17, 2025, 'Project BLOOM' addresses maternal and child health challenges in the Lungsen aspirational block of Mizoram's Lunglei district. The region, with its difficult terrain, high logistical costs, limited internet access and awareness gaps, had long struggled with low health indicators, the statement said, adding that the 'Project BLOOM' aims to close these gaps through a community-driven, convergence-based approach that integrates health, nutrition, transport and behaviour change. Under the 'Safe Womb Wheels' initiative of 'Project BLOOM', an on-call transport service prioritising high-risk pregnancies and remote villages, ensured referrals to the District Hospital when needed. The 'Project BLOOM' also made 12 temporary homestays near delivery points hosted by villagers, offering accommodation and support until delivery, with incentives provided to host families. To identify pregnant women and malnourished children, house-to-house surveys were conducted to build a single data-source for interventions. Incentives are provided to promote early antenatal care (ANC) registration and institutional deliveries, including nutrition and hygiene kits. Under the 'Project BLOOM', community awareness campaigns were undertaken among men, job cardholders, self help groups, and religious leaders to promote maternal health practices. Other schemes of the flagship project include monitoring and follow-up with Rs 5,000 worth of nutrition support based on prescribed diet charts, targeting hard-to-reach villages with micro-planning and convergence with 'Mission Indradhanush', special follow-ups and timely referrals through outreach camps under the PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, regular training for ASHA, Anganwadi and health workers, and local dais, with a focus on skilled birth assistance. The official statement said that the 'Project BLOOM' has brought about a significant transformation in the maternal and child health landscape of the Lungsen block. Institutional deliveries increased from 14.73 per cent in March 2023 to 43.14 per cent in March 2025, and surged to 72.2 per cent by June to July 2025, crossing the 70 per cent mark for the first time. Early ANC registration (first trimester) improved from 50.6 per cent (March 2023) to 68.14 per cent (March 2025), and further to 70 per cent (July 2025). Pregnant women receiving supplementary nutrition under Integrated Child Development Services rose from 11.3 per cent (March 2023) to 81.9 per cent (July 2025). Children ( aged between six months to six years) receiving supplementary nutrition increased from 6.16 per cent to 75 per cent during the same period. According to the statement, Lungsen is one of the four rural development blocks in Lunglei district of Mizoram. Covering an area of 424.04 square km, the block has a population of 18,637 24 in 24 village councils, with three communities -- Mizo, Chakma, and Reang -- living with harmony. Through 'Project BLOOM', Lunglei district demonstrates how convergence, innovation, and community participation can transform health outcomes in remote and challenging regions, the statement said. It added that by nurturing healthier mothers and children; the flagship project is laying the foundation for stronger, more resilient communities in Mizoram.
Time of India
a day ago
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Parenting in 2025? Add period education to your to-do list
Modern parenting must include period education. Here's why and how (Image: iStock) Most of us remember our first introduction to menstruation. Sometimes, it arrives in the form of a school session around Class 5, held behind closed doors in classrooms where boys are kept out and a video or lecture gingerly broaches the topic. Other times, schools gather the girls and show them a video where they explain what periods are and how to manage them. In hindsight, many wish it had been their mother who told them about it as it would have made it feel less alien. What stories from the ground reveal For most girls, mothers are the first and sometimes only emotional checkpoint. Yet in many Indian households, the subject is cloaked in silence or postponed indefinitely. Worse, some girls reach menarche with no prior information, left to navigate the confusion and fear alone. A young girl from Amgachi, Jharkhand, recounted breaking down in tears during her first period, thinking something was seriously wrong. 'I cried. I didn't understand what was happening to me. My mother explained it only afterwards.' The information the girls receive is often laden with caution. Periods are often treated as an alarm bell suggesting fertility, and, by extension, readiness for marriage. The mother's silence, often, is not a sign of apathy but anxiety. She may hesitate not because she does not care, but because she now sees her daughter as vulnerable to adult expectations. This perception is deeply entrenched. "I can't tell anyone. If my father finds out, he'll get me married," a young girl confided in an Anganwadi worker in Rampur Tribauna, Uttar Pradesh . Parenting fails without honest period education at home (Image: iStock) These observations come from a study conducted by Tata Trusts across villages in Gujarat, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, in an attempt to decode the sociocultural perceptions surrounding menstruation. Schools can't do it alone In recent years, a growing number of schools have begun addressing menstruation more proactively and even including boys in these sessions. While this shift from gender-segregated secrecy to inclusive awareness is a welcome step, these efforts remain largely urban. In an interview with TOI, Divyang Waghela, Head of WaSH at Tata Trusts, shared, "In rural settings, especially those with mostly male teachers, the topic of menstruation is either tiptoed around or avoided altogether. Some fear community backlash or a rise in dropouts. Sanitary pads provided for free too remain unclaimed because girls are uncomfortable collecting them in the presence of male teachers." Even the most well-meaning school sessions falter if not backed by conversations at home. Information, on its own, rarely shifts behaviour. A girl may learn about pads or menstrual cups in school but if her mother still refers to periods in hushed euphemisms, the stigma continues. Divyang Waghela highlighted, "What we see across the board are gaps; in knowledge, in comfort, in communication. Teachers are hesitant, mothers are uncertain and age-old myths conflate menstruation with womanhood or marriageability." Shifting the narrative at home Parents must stop outsourcing 'the talk' to schools. Even when myths are intellectually debunked, behavioural shifts depend heavily on family narratives, especially those led by mothers. Menstruation is not a sign of readiness for motherhood. It is a basic biological function or, rather, a 'lakshan' or indicator of health. Also, don't leave boys out of the conversation. Menstruation should not remain a secret language spoken fluently by half the population, while the other half avoids it, jokes about it, or learns it too late. Most Indian boys first encounter menstruation not through textbooks but through whispers, half-jokes exchanged behind school buses and backbench banter. That is how young boys can grow up with potentially harmful misconceptions. Parents, stop waiting for schools to teach periods. Your child needs you first (Image: iStock) Children are far more capable of understanding than we give them credit for. Parents routinely explain digestion, sneezes, even nightmares. Why not periods? The goal should be to create a home where a girl can say, 'I got my period today,' without feeling like she has confessed something scandalous. A home where fathers do not dismiss the topic and siblings respond without snickering or shame. It starts by making menstruation part of ordinary dinner table or bedtime conversation. Making it ordinary, not awkward The period talk does not need to be special, dramatic, or overly scientific. It just needs to be honest and free of shame. Start early and keep it casual. Talk about periods the same way you would discuss a headache, openly and without embarrassment. Parents should use everyday moments to bring it up naturally, whether it is something on TV or a question at the dinner table or grocery store. The challenge is not explaining the biology behind it. That part takes a minute or two. What takes longer and matters more is normalising the logistics. What is a pad? How is it used? What if a girl starts her period at school or during a swim class? Check your tone. Don't hesitate. If you sound awkward, your child may pick up on that discomfort and learn that periods are something to be embarrassed about. For boys, understanding menstruation means growing up to be sensitive friends, respectful classmates and supportive partners. For girls, it means entering puberty with confidence instead of confusion. So the next time your child asks a question, stumbles upon a sanitary product, or notices a stain on someone's clothes, do not shush them. 'Hey, that is just a period. It is normal. If that happens to someone, maybe you could offer them a sweatshirt or walk them to the bathroom. ' Offer them the language of empathy and understanding that they can carry for life.
Hans India
a day ago
- Hans India
Breastfeeding reduces risk of breast cancer
Eluru: District collector K Vetriselvi said that every pregnant and lactating woman in the district should be made aware of the importance of breast milk. As part of the Breast Milk Week celebrations, the Collector unveiled a poster on the importance of breast milk at the Collectorate here on Thursday. Later, nutritious food was provided to the pregnant women. Speaking on the occasion, Collector Vetriselvi said that it is mandatory to feed the baby with breast milk immediately after birth. The immunity of breastfed babies is enhanced. Breastfeeding has benefits for the baby as well as the mother. Breastfeeding releases a natural hormone called oxytocin, which helps the mother to feel less stressed after childbirth. Mothers who breastfeed for a long time have a lower risk of breast cancer. Breast milk contains all kinds of nutrients and that breastfeeding is sufficient from the time of birth to 6 months, and there is no need to give any solid or liquid foods. Kangaroo care strengthens the emotional bond between mother and child. Anganwadi staff should inform every pregnant and lactating woman in the Anganwadi area about the importance of breastfeeding, kangaroo care to keep the baby warm in the mother's lap, and other child care methods. Anganwadi staff should ensure that ANMs are seen to prevent anaemia and malnutrition, and that immunisations are administered regularly and health check-ups are conducted. Anganwadi staff should create awareness so that husbands and in-laws can support the mother in household chores for up to 6 months after delivery. They should ensure that breastfeeding rooms are set up in bus stands, cinema halls, malls, and other public places in the district. ICDS PD P Sharda said, 'As part of the Breastfeeding Week celebrations, we are making every pregnant and lactating woman in the district aware of the importance of breast milk.' She said that there are 24 breastfeeding rooms in the district and plans are being made to set up more. CDPOs Padmavati and Tulasi, Legal Advisor Raghavamma, Anganwadi supervisors, and Anganwadi staff participated in the programme.
