Breast Crawl - Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding - Initiation of Breastfeeding by Breast Crawl

This is a mother and baby friendly document. Hence it starts with Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding which also form the basis of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative.

Every facility providing maternity services and care for newborn infant should:

Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth.
Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they should be separated from their infants.
Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breastmilk, unless medically indicated.
Practice rooming-in - allow mothers and infants to remain together - 24 hours a day.
Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
Give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants.
Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic

09 April, 2009