Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative

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© UNICEF UK/2006/Jill Jennings
Three-quarters of babies are breastfed at birth, falling to just one-fifth at six months.

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a worldwide programme of the World Health Organization and UNICEF, launched in 1991 following the Innocenti Declaration of 1990. The initiative is a global effort for improving the role of maternity services to enable mothers to breastfeed babies for the best start in life. It aims at improving the care of pregnant women, mothers and newborns at health facilities that provide maternity services for protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding, in accordance with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.

[edit] Criteria

The criteria for a hospital's Baby Friendly accreditation include:

1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
2. Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one half-hour of birth.
5. Show mothers how to breastfeed and maintain lactation, even if they should be separated from their infants.
6. Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breastmilk, not even sips of water, unless medically indicated.
7. Practice rooming in - that is, allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
9. Give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants.
10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic

The program also restricts use by the hospital of free formula or other infant care aids provided by formula companies.

Between 1991 and 2005, approximately 15,000 facilities worldwide have been inspected and accredited as "Baby-Friendly."

[edit] National schemes

[edit] UK

The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative was launched in 1994 and, in 1998, its principles were extended to cover the work of community health-care services with the Seven Point Plan for Supporting Breastfeeding in the Community. In 2005, it introduced an accreditation programme for university departments responsible for midwifery, health visitor and public health nurse education. Its emphasis on applying the standards in post-natal and education settings makes it unique amongst the various Baby Friendly programmes in other countries.

In the UK, the Baby Friendly Initiative works with the National Health Service to ensure a high standard of care for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers and babies in hospitals and community health settings. The Baby Friendly Initiative accredits health-care facilities that adopt internationally recognised best practice standards for breastfeeding. During each stage of accreditation, the Baby Friendly Initiative provides support as facilities implement standards relating to policies and procedures, staff education, effective auditing, educating pregnant women and mothers, and other relevant areas. There is also a Baby Friendly university standards programme aimed at university departments responsible for midwifery and health visitor/public health nurse education. This ensures that newly qualified midwives and health visitors are equipped with the basic knowledge and skills they need to support breastfeeding effectively.

There are now 52 Baby Friendly-accredited maternity hospitals in the UK and ten accredited community health-care providers. In 2009, the Department of Health awarded a total of £4 million to 40 Primary Care Trusts in areas with low rates of breastfeeding to support them in seeking Baby Friendly accreditation.

[edit] Australia

Baby Friendly Health Initiative.

[edit] USA

Baby Friendly USA.

[edit] Health benefits

© UNICEF UK/2006/Jill Jennings
Breastfeeding offers benefits for both mother and baby.

UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the UK Government all recommend that babies are breastfed exclusively for their first six months of life. Studies have shown that breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from serious illnesses, including gastroenteritis, asthma, eczema, and respiratory and ear infections.^[1][2][3][4]

Adults who were breastfed as babies are less likely to develop risk factors for heart disease such as obesity and high blood pressure. There are benefits for mothers too: women who breastfeed have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer and hip fractures in later life.^[5][6][7]

[edit] External links

• World Health Organization
• UNICEF International
• BFHI information from the World Health Organisation

[edit] References