The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI)

BFHI is the World Health Organization’s primary intervention strategy for strengthening the capacity of national health systems to protect and support breastfeeding. Each country has to tailor the guidelines for their maternity system and legislation.

 

International Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative

Link: International Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative website

Definition of a Baby Friendly Hospital

A Baby Friendly Hospital (BFH) is a health care facility where the practitioners who provide care for women and babies adopt practices that aim to protect, promote and support exclusive breastfeeding from birth.  At the same time, Baby Friendly facilities ensure that women who choose not to breastfeed are supported in their decision and provided with unbiased information and advice.


Goals of BFHI

The two goals of BFHI:

  1. To transform facilities providing maternity services and care for newborn infants through implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (The Ten Steps)
  2. To end the practice of distribution of free and low-cost supplies of breastmilk substitutes to hospitals and health care facilities.

The purpose of BFHI is:

  • to actively protect, promote, encourage and support breastfeeding through education of health care workers in maternity and neonatal services
  • to accredit hospitals that demonstrate that they meet the WHO/UNICEF criteria as a Baby Friendly Hospital.