Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative A Boon In Disguise!

Abstract

In 1991, UNICEF and WHO launched the Baby?Friendly Hospital Initiative with the aim of increasing rates of breastfeeding. “Baby?Friendly” is a designation a maternity site can receive by demonstrating to external assessors compliance with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. The Ten Steps are a series of best practice standards describing a pattern of care where commonly found practices harmful to breastfeeding are replaced with evidence based practices proven to increase breastfeeding outcome. Currently, approximately 19 250 hospitals worldwide have achieved Baby?Friendly status, less than 500 of which are found in industrialised nations. The Baby?Friendly initiative has increased breastfeeding rates, reduced complications, and improved mothers' health care experiences. There is a small, quiet revolution going on. An important indicator of good health appears to be rising faster in areas of social deprivation. This may not be unique, but it is certainly unusual. Breastfeeding, which has long been associated with the higher socioeconomic groups in industrialised countries, is now growing rapidly in some of the most socially deprived areas of the UK and USA.