Report on Alumni Guest Lecture

A session on the Breast Crawl and skin-to-skin contact (SSC) was conducted for 6th Semester BSc nursing students to create awareness about the significance of immediate breastfeeding initiation and its benefits through breast crawl and SSC on March 13, 2025, from 4 to 5 pm by Ms. Arkierupia Shadap, alumna of Manipal College of Nursing (MCON) - MSc - OBG Nursing specialty Batch (2011-2013), who is currently employed as Associate Professor at Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing.

Breast crawl is an instinct in which a newborn, when placed on the mother's abdomen immediately after birth, automatically moves toward the breast and begins suckling. Further, this helps in establishing SSC. This session was planned to develop the students' understanding of the physiological, psychological, and practical elements of the breast crawl. A detailed explanation of the method, including the newborn’s sensory responses, was given, followed by a video presentation showing successful breast crawls and SSCs in the clinical setting. These breastfeeding promotion practices can be encouraged among childbearing women by healthcare professionals, particularly nurses and midwives.

During the session, she highlighted the importance of teaching this technique to young, aspiring nursing students. She emphasized how this cost-effective, non-invasive approach can help mothers and their newborns establish strong bonding, ultimately contributing to improved exclusive breastfeeding rates. This guest lecture was an initiative in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals- SDG 2 (end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture), SDG 3 (ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals). Overall the aim was to ensure that everyone can lead healthy lives and enjoy well-being, with a special focus on maternal and child health by enhancing breastfeeding practices.