BABY FRIENDLY

HOSPITAL INITIATIVE

BINAL JOSHI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
MTIN,CHARUSAT.CHANGA
Introduction

– WHO and UNICEF launched the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative

(BFHI) to help motivate facilities providing maternity and
newborn services worldwide to implement the Ten Steps to
Successful Breastfeeding.
– The Ten Steps summarize a package of policies and procedures
that facilities providing maternity and newborn services should
implement to support breastfeeding.
– WHO has called upon all facilities providing maternity and
newborn services worldwide to implement the Ten Steps.
Introduction….

– The implementation guidance for BFHI emphasizes strategies to

scale up to universal coverage and ensure sustainability over
time.
– The guidance focuses on integrating the programme more fully in
the health-care system, to ensure that all facilities in a country
implement the Ten Steps.
– Countries are called upon to fulfill nine key responsibilities
through a national BFHI programme:
Abbreviation

WHO - World Health organization

UNICEF - United nation international children’s emergency
fund
USAID - United State agency for international Development
SIDA- Swedish international development cooperation
Background

– Baby friendly Hospital Initiative was launched in 1992 in INDIA.

– The history was on declaration on the promoting, protection and
support of breastfeeding was produced and adapted by
participants at the WHO/ UNICEF policy maker’s meeting on
breast feeding in 1990s.
– The baby friendly hospital camping was launched by the WHO/
UNICEF in mid 1991 in Ankara to boost the breastfeeding
practices and to counter the trends of bottle feeding
TOWARDS 10 STEPS OF SUCCESSFUL BREAST
FEEDING

Baby friendly hospital are required to adopted

Breast feeding policy and follow the
“ Ten step of Successful Breastfeeding”
– As recommended by code of practice of WHO/UNICEF
 CRITICAL MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES

– 1a. Comply fully with the International Code of Marketing of

Breast-milk Substitutes and relevant World Health Assembly
resolutions.
– 1b. Have a written infant feeding policy that is routinely
communicated to staff and parents.
– 1c. Establish ongoing monitoring and data-management systems.
– 2. Ensure that staff have sufficient knowledge, competence and
skills to support breastfeeding.
KEY CLINICAL PRACTICES

– 3. Discuss the importance and management of breastfeeding

with pregnant women and their families.

– 4. Facilitate immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact

and support mothers to initiate breastfeeding as soon as possible
after birth.
KEY CLINICAL PRACTICES

– 5. Support mothers to initiate and maintain breastfeeding and

manage common difficulties.

– 6. Do not provide breastfed newborns any food or fluids other

than breast milk, unless medically indicated.
KEY CLINICAL PRACTICES

– 7. Enable mothers and their infants to remain together and to

practice rooming-in 24 hours a day.
– 8. Support mothers to recognize and respond to their infants’
cues for feeding.
KEY CLINICAL PRACTICES

– 9. Counsel mothers on the use and risks of feeding bottles, teats

and pacifiers.

– 10. Coordinate discharge so that parents and their infants have

timely access to ongoing support and care.
BFHI CERTIFICATION

– Indian hospital are till in early stages of joining this movement. The National
BFHI task force was formed, in 1992, towards the efforts to improve the
breastfeeding practices.

– The task force comprising of Govt. of INDIA, UNICEF, WHO and Professional
Organization ( TNAI, BPNI, NNF, IMA, FOGSI, IAP, CMAI, CHAI, IBFAN, ACASH)
is working for evaluation of breastfeeding practices in the hospitals and
appropriate certification as “ Baby Friendly Hospital” .
CONTD….

– The certificate needs re-recognition on every two years to ensure the standard
and quality for successful breastfeeding.
– Beside promotion of breastfeeding, BFHI in INDIA also proposed to provide:-
– – Improved antenatal care
– – Mother friendly delivery services.
– – Diarrheal management
– –Standardize institution support of immunization
– –Promotion of healthy growth and good nutrition
– –Widespread availability and adoption of family planning
CONTD…

– Govt. of India has made significantly efforts to promote and protect

breastfeeding by enacting a law “The Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles
and Infant Food Act,1992”.
– The act prohibits advertizing of infant milk substitutes (IMS) and feeding
bottles to public, free sampling, hospital promotion and gifts of samples of
IMS to health workers.
Thank you…..