Breastfeeding is the best method of infant feeding because human milk continues to be the only milk which is tailor-made and uniquely suited to the human infant. All mothers should be encouraged to breast-feed their infants. When a mother, for some reason, is unable to feed her infant directly, her breast milk should be expressed and fed to the infant. If mother's own milk is unavailable or insufficient, the next best option is to use pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM). India faces its own unique challenges, having the highest number of low birth weight babies, and significant mortality and morbidity in very low birth weight (VLBW) population. Human Milk Banking Association should be constituted, and human milk banks should be established across the country. National coordination mechanism should be developed with a secretariat and technical support to follow-up on action in States. Budgetary provisions should be made available for the activities.
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