The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative aims to implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and end the distribution of free breastmilk substitutes to health facilities. This supports the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, which promotes exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for two years or more to improve infant nutrition, growth, health and survival. The course teaches staff communication skills and practices to confidently support mothers in early and exclusive breastfeeding so the facility can achieve Baby-Friendly designation.

1. BABY-FRIENDLY HOSPITAL INITIATIVE
Revised, Updated and Expanded for Integrated Care
“Maternity”,
1963,
©
2003
Estate
of
Pablo
Picasso/Artists
Rights
Society
(ARS),
New
York

2. The Baby Friendly Hospital
Initiative: A Part of the Global
Strategy

3. Effects of poor infant feeding practices:
• About 5500 children die everyday
• Suffer long-term effects:
> impaired development
> malnutrition
> increased infectious / chronic
illness
> rising rates of obesity in children

4. Global Strategy for
Infant and Young Child Feeding
The aim of the Global Strategy is to improve
– through optimal feeding – the nutritional
status, growth and development, health, and
thus the survival of infants and young children.
It supports exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months,
with timely, adequate, safe and appropriate
complementary feeding, while continuing
breastfeeding for two years and beyond.
It also supports maternal nutrition, and social
and community support.
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5. The aim of the
Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative
To implement the
Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding
and to end the distribution of
free and low-cost supplies
of breastmilk substitutes
to health facilities.
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6. BFHI is important in areas of high HIV
prevalence
• Special needs of HIV+ women can be
accommodated
• WHO/UNICEF policy statement, the
right to information and support
• Continue to support women who are
HIV (-) or unknown status

7. How this course can assist this health
facility
• Discuss the Ten Steps and how to
implement them
• Importance of making the facility Baby
Friendly
• Talk about practices related to
marketing of breastmilk substitutes
• Assessment process

8. Course Aims
The aim of this course is that
every staff member will confidently
support mothers with early and
exclusive breastfeeding,
and that this facility moves towards
achieving Baby-friendly designation.
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9. You will learn & practice
• Communication skills
• Implement 10 steps, abide by the EO 51
• Discuss importance of breastfeeding
• Facilitate skin to skin contact
• Positioning and attachment
• Support BF upon discharged
• Know whom & where to refer
• Seek ways to overcome barriers

10. How the global strategy fits with other
activities
It is supported by national policies, laws
and programes to promote, protect and
support breastfeeding and protect the
rights of working women to maternity
protection.
National programes like:
IYCF / EO 51 / BFHI / maternity leave laws