The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative

In commemoration of the 2015 World Breastfeeding Week we will be focusing on the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI ) of 1991.

This initiative was launched by UNICEF and the WHO to ascertain that maternity 
centers everywhere; 
hospital owned as well as free standing become effective centers of breastfeeding support.

This process is currently under the control of national breastfeeding authorities that utilize global criteria which can be applied to maternity care in every country. 

UNICEF and WHO developed the implementation guides for the BFHI.

What are baby friendly maternity centers like?

They do not accept breast milk substitutes (free or low cost), feeding bottles, teats or pacifiers.
They have also implemented the 10 specific steps to support successful breastfeeding.

Ten steps to successful breastfeeding

- Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.

- Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.

- Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.

- Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one half-hour of birth.

- Show mothers how to breastfeed and maintain lactation,even if they should be separated from their infants.

- Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.

- Practice rooming in - that is, allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.

- Encourage breastfeeding on demand.

- Give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants.

- Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.

Since inception, over 15,000 facilities in 134 countries have been awarded the Baby-Friendly status. More mothers in these regions are breastfeeding their babies and this has led to significant improvements in child health.