Abstract            Volume:5  Issue-4  Year-2017         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

Every year 4 million babies die in the first month of life and a quarter of these takes place in India. Essential new born care and proper breastfeeding practices have a proven impact on reducing the infant mortality rate. This study was conducted with the aim to assess the knowledge regarding essential new born care among women availing antenatal services. A cross - sectional study was conducted among women availing antenatal care services at a maternity hospital in a rural area of South Karnataka. A face-validated structured interview was administered to 201 women and data were analyzed. There was overall poor knowledge regarding essential newborn care and breastfeeding practices among women in the area of study. As the parity of the women increased, they scored better in the newborn care and the breastfeeding questionnaire. Conclusion and recommendation: The knowledge and access to knowledge among rural women regarding newborn care practices and breastfeeding was poor. Health education regarding newborn care practices should be imparted to new mothers, relatives and adolescent girls because adequate knowledge among mothers is the first step to the practice of good breastfeeding and essential new born care.

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