Benefits of becoming a BFCI health service

The Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) can have positive repercussions for your organisation. Some of the associated benefits include:

  • Acceptance of the BFCI will strengthen your health liaison relationships community-wide
  • Your organisation will be supporting the building of a healthier community - there is strong evidence to show that breastfeeding infants are healthier, and there are significant health benefits for breastfeeding mothers
  • You will be helping to improve parent/child relationships with a good start to the parenting experience
  • By providing skilled care for mothers, including showing them how to feed their babies and protecting them from harmful practices, you are actively helping to build their confidence and improve exclusive breastfeeding rates in your community
  • You will be helping to improve Maori and Pacific breastfeeding rates by adopting and implementing BFCI practices - at present Maori breastfeeding rates are the lowest of any ethnic group in New Zealand
  • You will well equipped to help all breastfeeding mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies from birth to six months

Testimonials from BFCI accredited services

BFCI Pilot group coordinators

"Our BFCI services are continuing to make a greater difference to new mothers and have improved their service delivery over the past year. These services have managed to support more mothers to continue to breastfeed.

"The participants feel more confident and knowledgeable about breastfeeding. The training offered by the NZBA was excellent."

Family Start

"It has increased our focus on the value of breastfeeding for the wellbeing of the baby, and has increased my confidence as to who to refer to in the community for breastfeeding support. It has ensured everyone gets the same information, and we have set up a breastfeeding room."

LMC

"I am 1000% behind this initiative because I can see what it can do in the community here. It was a real thrill when I saw my client in the postnatal ward and was talking to her about breastfeeding. The mother said it was exactly what the night nurse had told her. It's great that we are all saying the same messages."

Maori health providers

"This has been a huge step for us to become Baby Friendly. We now all truly live and walk the korero of breastfeeding. Staff know how to refer in-house and when to seek external support.

"We now all relay the same messages, and demonstrate these principles at work as well as at home."

Plunket

"We now have a policy and posters displayed and breastfeeding chairs in all of our clinics. Our group approached the district council asking for changes."

La Leche League

"The BCFI is a really good networking opportunity and we can now support one another. Previously, I felt there was just lip service to breastfeeding whereas now I feel they are passionate about it."

Lactation Consultant

"The training was excellent, it meshed everything together. It was an in depth explanation on how breastfeeding works."

Parents Centre Educator

"The training has helped my teaching. I have made changes to my classes".

GP Practice

"While we were always keen on breastfeeding and encouraged it, the BFCI programme has focused us and helped us concentrate more on how we run the practice. It gave us the opportunity to work together and be more cohesive as a team so we could support women in our community."

Community Health Centre

"Since we began BFCI and started to promote and understand breastfeeding more, we work together as a team to help the people in our community. It was a great way to join up and work together to be collaborative and consistent in a caring way."