Evaluation of Effectiveness of Cell Phone Technology as Community Based Intervention to Improve Exclusive Breast Feeding

Primary hypotheses In a hospital-based CRCT, cell phone lactational counseling starting in the third trimester of pregnancy to 24 weeks after delivery will improve the prevalence of EBF by 7.5 % (7.5% increase in EBF by retraining in BFHI alone in both groups from baseline and a additional 7.5% improvement in intervention group as compared to the control) compared with women with from hospitals with only retraining BFHI. Secondary hypotheses As compared to women from hospitals receiving only retraining in BFHI, those with additional cell phone lactational counseling will experience the following * Increase in the percentage of EBF(breast milk and no other foods or milk based liquids) at 24 weeks after delivery, * Increase in the mean duration of any breastfeeding, * Increase in the percentage with TIBF, * Reduction in use of pre lacteal feeds * Reduction in percentage of infants being bottle fed(any liquid or semi-solid food from a bottle with nipple/teat) any time before or at 24 weeks * Increase in the percentage of infants at 26 weeks after delivery who receive TICF, * Increase in growth velocity (weight, length and head circumference) * Reduction in the number hospitalizations or mortality in the mother-infant dyad till 26 weeks after delivery * Increase in adherence to visit schedules * Greater ratio of effectiveness as compared to costs incurred for cell phone counseling.