Many hospitals are certified as 'Baby-Friendly,' meaning that they follow the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. These steps are 10 care practices, identified by the World Health Organization (WHO), that support breastfeeding in birthing facilities. Each step is supported by best evidence and best practice to ensure that you and your baby have the best chance to begin breastfeeding successfully. Some hospitals that do not have the Baby-Friendly designation follow many or all of the steps anyway to promote exclusive breastfeeding among their maternity patients. The 10 steps, recently updated in 2018, are:
Hospitals that have the Baby-Friendly designation have gone through a rigorous, multi-year process in overhauling their pregnancy, birth and postpartum care to make sure it is aligned with the 10 steps. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, US Breastfeeding Committee and other national organizations recognize and support the 10 steps and WHO’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. See also ... • More about the Baby-Friendly Hospital InitiativeThis message is not intended to provide individual medical advice. Always seek the advice of a physician or qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have about your health or medical condition, your breastfeeding issues and your infant's health. Never disregard, avoid or delay contacting a doctor or other qualified professional because of something you have read in our emails, webpages or other electronic communications. Powered by UbiCare
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One of the tenets of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is that the marketing of breast-milk substitutes, including infant formula, discourages mothers from initiating and/or exclusively breastfeeding their infants. The International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes, adopted by the WHO in 1981, calls for restrictions on the marketing of breast-milk substitutes, infant feeding bottles, and teats. Hospitals and birthing centers wishing to attain and retain Baby-Friendly designation must abide by the provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes. Significant provisions of this code prevent hospitals and birthing centers from accepting free or low-cost infant formula, providing free samples of infant formula to families, or advertising breast-milk substitutes. Provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes require:
NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Patnode CD, Henninger ML, Senger CA, et al. Primary Care Interventions to Support Breastfeeding: Updated Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2016 Oct. (Evidence Syntheses, No. 143.) View in own window * The AAP does not support a categorical ban on pacifiers because of their role in sudden infant death risk reduction and their analgesic benefit during painful procedures when breastfeeding cannot provide the analgesia. Pacifier use in the hospital in the neonatal period should be limited to specific medical indications such as pain reduction and calming in a drug-exposed infant, for example. Mothers of healthy full-term breastfed infants should be instructed to delay pacifier use until breastfeeding is well established, usually about 3 to 4 weeks after birth.4 A non-breastfed child is 14 times more likely to die in the first six months and costs only what it takes to feed the mother.
Ten steps to successful breastfeeding (revised 2018) WHO and UNICEF launched the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) to help motivate facilities providing maternity and newborn services worldwide to implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. The Ten Steps summarize a package of policies and procedures that facilities providing maternity and newborn services should implement to support breastfeeding. WHO has called upon all facilities providing maternity and newborn services worldwide to implement the Ten Steps. The implementation guidance for BFHI emphasizes strategies to scale up to universal coverage and ensure sustainability over time. The guidance focuses on integrating the programme more fully in the health-care system, to ensure that all facilities in a country implement the Ten Steps. Countries are called upon to fulfill nine key responsibilities through a national BFHI programme: Download poster
also see: WHO and UNICEF issue new guidance to promote breastfeeding in health facilities globally Protecting, promoting, and supporting #breastfeeding in facilities providing maternity and newborn services: the revised Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative 2018 - Implementation guidance Critical management procedures1a. Comply fully with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and relevant World Health Assembly resolutions. 1b. Have a written infant feeding policy that is routinely communicated to staff and parents. 1c. Establish ongoing monitoring and data-management systems. 2. Ensure that staff have sufficient knowledge, competence and skills to support breastfeeding. Key clinical practices3. Discuss the importance and management of breastfeeding with pregnant women and their families. 4. Facilitate immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact and support mothers to initiate breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth. 5. Support mothers to initiate and maintain breastfeeding and manage common difficulties. 6. Do not provide breastfed newborns any food or fluids other than breast milk, unless medically indicated. 7. Enable mothers and their infants to remain together and to practise rooming-in 24 hours a day. 8. Support mothers to recognize and respond to their infants’ cues for feeding. 9. Counsel mothers on the use and risks of feeding bottles, teats and pacifiers. 10. Coordinate discharge so that parents and their infants have timely access to ongoing support and care. There is substantial evidence that implementing the Ten Steps significantly improves breastfeeding rates. A systematic review of 58 studies on maternity and newborn care published in 2016 demonstrated clearly that adherence to the Ten Steps impacts early initiation of breastfeeding immediately after birth, exclusive breastfeeding and total duration of breastfeeding.
Babies who are breastfed are generally healthier and achieve optimal growth and development compared to those who are fed formula milk. Breastmilk makes the world healthier, smarter, and more equal: these are the conclusions of a new Lancet Series on breastfeeding. The deaths of 823,000 children and 20,000 mothers each year could be averted through universal breastfeeding, along with economic savings of US$300 billion. The Series confirms the benefits of breastfeeding in fewer infections, increased intelligence, probable protection against overweight and diabetes, and cancer prevention for mothers. The Series represents the most in-depth analysis done so far into the health and economic benefits that breastfeeding can produce. - The Lancet Infants who are not breastfed are at an increased risk of illness that can compromise their growth and raise the risk of death or disability. Breastfed babies receive protection from illnesses through the mother's milk. Breastfeeding is the natural and recommended way of feeding all infants, even when artificial feeding is affordable, clean water is available, and good hygienic conditions for preparing and feeding infant formula exist. If a mother is HIV-positive, there is a risk that she can transmit HIV to her baby through breastfeeding. Counselling can help her carefully weigh the risks and make an informed decision on which feeding option is best for her baby and most manageable for her. Almost every mother can breastfeed successfully. All mothers, particularly those who might lack the confidence to breastfeed, need the encouragement and practical support of the baby's father and their families, friends and relatives. Health workers, community workers, women's organizations and employers can also provide support. Everyone has the right to information about the benefits of breastfeeding and the risks of artificial feeding. Governments have a responsibility to provide this information. Communities as well as media and other channels of communication can play a key role in promoting breastfeeding.“What if governments had a proven, cost-effective way to save babies’ lives, reduce rates of malnutrition, support children’s health, increase educational attainment and grow productivity? They do: It’s called breastfeeding. And it is one of the best investments nations can make in the lives and futures of their youngest members – and in the long-term strength of their societies.” – Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director
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An initiative of HealthPhone™, conducted under the aegis of Indian Academy of Pediatrics, in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, UNICEF, Aamir Khan and with support from Vodafone. It is the World's Largest Programme to Battle Malnutrition amongst Mothers and Children. The objective of this nationwide campaign against malnutrition is to address issues of status of women, the care of pregnant mothers and children under two, breastfeeding and the importance of balanced nutrition and health. The focus is on women between 13 and 35 years of age and their family members. The four Poshan videos are hosted on a dedicated WAP page iaphealthphone.org and accessible to all Vodafone India subscribers on their mobile phones. Vodafone India subscribers can also give a missed call on 1 800 120 8989 (toll-free) to receive a link to the WAP page via SMS.
Featured Videos Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding videos as a playlist - YouTube Featured Resources WHO: Promoting proper feeding for infants and young children
The Benefits of Breastfeeding - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |