Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative
The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global campaign of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The goal is to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates by protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding. This campaign recognizes that implementing best practice in health services is crucial to the success of programmes. Best practice is represented by The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (The Ten Steps), which were first published in a joint WHO/UNICEF statement in 1989 – Protecting, Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding: The Special Role of Maternity Services.
Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding |
| Every facility providing maternity services and care for newborn infants should: |
| 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 a half-hour or birth. |
| 5. | Show mothers how to breastfeed, and how to maintain lactation even if they should be seperated from their infants. |
| 6. | Give newborn infants of breastfeeding mothers no food or drink other than breastmilk, unless medically indicated. |
| 7. | Practise rooming-in - allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day. |
| 8. | Encourage breastfeeding on demand. |
| 9. | Give no artificial teats of 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. |
From: Protecting, Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding: The Special Role of Maternity Services |
AA Joint WHO / UNICEF Statement 1989 |
Endorsement of the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions is a prerequisite for designation as Baby Friendly even though it is not included as one of The Ten Steps.
The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) has two main goals:
| 1. | To encourage and facilitate the transformation of hospital facilities in accordance with the WHO UNICEF Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. |
| 2. | To end the practice of distribution of free and low-cost supplies of breastmilk substitutes to hospitals and health care facilities in accordance with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly (WHA Resolutions). |
The New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority (NZBA) is the National Authority for the implementation of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in New Zealand. NZBA is a broad-based coalition of professional and consumer organisations, which provides information, support and assessment for maternity facilities and health services working to implement best pracitice in relation to breastfeeding.
In New Zealand, BFHI assessment of maternity facilities is carried out based on the WHO / UNICEF Global Hospital Assessment Criteria, adapted for application in New Zealand.
Amendments and clarifications to the accreditation documents have been made to recognise the uniqueness of the New Zealand health system and to encourage consistent evidence-based culturally appropriate practice at all health care facilities, where initiation of breastfeeding occurs. The accrediation documents recognises:
| 1. | The Treaty of Waitangi principles of protection, participation and partnershop as an integral part of BFHI in Aotearoa New Zealand. |
| 2. | New Zealand has a unique system where women choose their Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) for their antenatal, birth and post-natal care. The auditing tool was developed to assess the facility and staff employed by the facility. Self-employed LMCs utilising hospital facilities also have a key role in practising in-line with BFHI principles and promoting these in the community. |
| 3. | Informed consent is an important part of the BFHI process with consulation with community service provicers and consumers having been encouraged. |
Kia U Ki Te Pai As a mother’s milk provides nourishment Let us embrace all that is good |
The Treaty of Waitangi The New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority is committed to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and will work with the principles through:
Partnership, by working with whanau, hapu and iwi to develop appropriate policies and procedures that will improve breastfeeding rates and services in New Zealand Participation, by involving Maori in decision making, planning, development and implementation of the Baby Friendly Community Initiative Protection, by working in a manner that will protect an preserve Maori traditional breastfeeding practices |
Maternity services that meet all criteria are designated Baby Friendly. This prestigious award is a globally recognised quality standard that both parents and health services can use to compare the service provided by the designated facility with that of others.
The New Zealand Ministry of Health requires all maternity facilities in New Zealand to attain and maintain Baby Friendly Hospital Accreditation.
| Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding | ||||||||||||||||||||
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