Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) Accreditation

Protecting, supporting and promoting breastfeeding in WA hospitals

Delivering a Healthy WA

© 2008. Department of Health, State of Western Australia

Our hospital is applying for Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) accreditation.

Each of us has a role to play in implementing the ten steps to successful breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding gives babies the best start in life.

BFHI is a World Health Organisation (WHO) / United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

global strategyThat promotes:• exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months.• timely introduction of adequate, safe and

appropriate complementary food. • breastfeeding for 2 yrs and beyond, as mother

and baby desire.

Everyone

Everywhere

Benefits

• Was launched in 1991 by WHO/UNICEF.

• It aims to give every baby the best start in life by creating a health care environment where breastfeeding is the norm.

The Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI)

• Implement the “Ten steps to successful breastfeeding”.

• End the practice of distribution of free and low cost supplies of infant formula to hospitals and maternity wards.

• Compliance with the WHO International code of breast milk marketing.

BFHI goals

• NO advertising.• NO donations.• NO free samples.• NO promotion.• NO gifts. • NO pictures idealising formula feeding.• NO use of equipment sponsored or produced by

formula companies.

Compliance with the WHO international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes means;

Of formula

Our goals• For all staff to know how they can protect,

promote and support breastfeeding in our hospital.

• For all staff to be educated on the ten steps to successful breastfeeding.

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

Step one:

• The policy is based on the 10 steps.

• Everyone should know about it – if you don’t know ask a midwife.

• It gives guidance on the initiation of breastfeeding.

• It ensures consistent hospital practices.

The policy should be on display

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

Step two:

•Everyone should attend some form of training.•Formal training ensures consistent advice and management.•Improves initiation and duration of breastfeeding.

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

Step three:

• Information given to women about the benefits of breastfeeding motivates them to breastfeed.

• Ensures mothers have made an informed choice.

Place babies skin to skin contact with their mothers immediately following birth for at least an hour and encourage mothers to recognise when their babies are ready to breastfeed, offering help if needed.

Step four:

• Cry less.• Keep warm.• Use less energy.• Start to develop their

instinctive feeding behaviours.

Babies placed skin to skin

Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain their lactation even if separated from their infants.

Step five:

• Expert advice and support improves the mother’s confidence.

• Information and individual help on expressing breast milk maintains the milk supply of a mother if separated from her baby.

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

Step six:

• May interfere with newborn suckling.

• Reduces the frequency of breastfeeding.

• Reduces breast stimulation and therefore milk supply.

• Is known to cause early cessation of breastfeeding.

• Interferes with baby’s feeding behaviours.

• May undermine the mother’s confidence.

Other food or drink

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

Step seven:

• Reduces the chances of cross infection.• Allows the mother to respond to her baby when

they show readiness to feed.• Helps establish good milk flow and production.• Improves breastfeeding outcomes.

Encourage breastfeeding on demand.

Step eight:

• Scheduled feeding leads to breastfeeding problems and may cause insufficient milk supply.

• Feeding the baby whenever they are hungry helps produce and maintain the milk supply.

• Frequency and length of feeds vary between infants and from day to day.

Give no artificial teats or dummies to breastfed infants.

Step nine:

• Dummies reduce time spent suckling at the breast.

• Dummies should not replace a breastfeed.• Cup or finger feeding is recommended if

feeding at the breast is not possible.

Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support and refer mothers on discharge from the facility.

Step ten:

Continued support after discharge improves breastfeeding rates.

What’s all the fuss?

Breast milk and breastfeeding baby benefits

•Colostrum(first milk) is the baby’s first immunisation.•Important for the development of the digestive system.•Perfect for immature organs.•Is a living fluid that protects against infection and allergy.•Breastfed babies have less stomach, ear and chest illnesses.•Higher intelligence and better vision.•May protect against diabetes and heart disease in later life.•Reduces the risk of childhood obesity.

Breastfeeding benefits for mums

• May reduce the risk of osteoporosis, breast and ovarian cancers.

• Promotes bonding.• Helps the uterus return to

normal size.• Helps the return to pre-

pregnancy weight.

• Requires no special equipment.

• Reduces health care costs.

• Protects the environment.

• Is free.

Breastfeeding benefits for the family

• Australian Breastfeeding Association. 24hr helpline, 1800 mum 2 mum= 1800 686 2 686

• Midwives

• Community Child Health Nurses.

• Some hospitals have dedicated breastfeeding clinics.

• Private Lactation Consultants (fees apply).

• Mother’s groups (playgroups, coffee mornings etc).• You

Who can help?

How can you help?

Understand how the ‘Ten steps to successfully breastfeeding’

can affect your practice.

Know how important breastfeeding is for everyone.

Know what to sayand

ask the midwives for help if a mother asks your advice.

Produced for WA Health: Women’s and

Newborns’ Health Network

© 2008. Department of Health, State of Western Australia

Music: Sovereign. Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons “Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Photographs: Families and staff from King Edward Memorial Hospital.