To combat the health risks associated with unnecessary formula feeding and formula supplementation, the World Health Organization partnered with the United Nations Children's Fund to create guidelines for "baby-friendly hospitals" that fully encourage and enable breastfeeding. Following these guidelines, expectant mothers can determine whether the motivations of a hospital are driven by baby-friendly initiatives or by marketing from infant-formula manufacturers.
The following guidelines, as stated by the World Health Organization, are the defining criteria of baby-friendly hospitals:
1. Baby-friendly hospitals have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
When the nurses and other staff are unaware of the importance of breastfeeding and the hospitals' policies regarding breastfeeding, they are likely to fail to communicate effectively with new mothers. Written policies that are fully communicated to all staff will enable health care providors to effectively and unanimously inform mothers of breastfeeding's critical benefits.
2. Baby-friendly hospitals train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
For a hospital's breastfeeding policy to be truly effective, all staff who will come in contact with a new or expectant mother will need to know how to assist patients with breastfeeding. All health care staff should be able to educate mothers about nursing techniques, nursing benefits, and methods for overcoming occasional pitfalls.
3. Baby-friendly hospitals inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
Many women formula-feed out of ignorance; they are unaware of how dangerous it may actually be to their child's health. Additionally, some women give up too early because they do not have proper support for overcoming problems that may arise with breastfeeding. When women are properly educated about breastfeeding techniques and the importance of breastfeeding, they are more likely to breastfeed without complication.
4. Baby-friendly hospitals help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one half-hour of birth.
The more time that passes between a child's birth and the initiation of breastfeeding, the more likely it is that problems will arise. If breastfeeding is initiated immediately after the baby's birth, he will most likely learn to nurse quickly and effectively. Immediate breastfeeding also stimulates the mother's production of oxytocin, which enables quicker postpartum healing by contracting the uterus to its original size.
5. Baby-friendly hospitals show mothers how to breastfeed and maintain lactation, even if they should be separated from their infants.
Many mothers unnecessarily give up on breastfeeding their babies if a medical complication mandates separation of the mother and baby. This is most often because of a lack of proper support and education. It is important for mothers to be informed and enabled to pump and express milk to maintain a proper supply of milk, especially when medical complications arise.
6. Baby-friendly hospitals give newborn infants no food or drink other than breastmilk, not even sips of water, unless medically indicated.
There is very rarely any reason to give a breastfed baby any supplementation of water, formula, or glucose water except in the event of an unusual occurrence. Not only can the introduction of these liquids cause medical complications when they are given improperly, but the introduction of bottles can also cause "nipple confusion", leading a baby to reject the breast in favor of an artificial teat.
7. Baby-friendly hospitals practice rooming in - that is, allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
When mothers and babies room together in the same room, proper breastfeeding is encouraged because the mother and baby are able to respond to eachother's biological signals. After being a single body for nine months or more, it is very disruptive to postpartum biology for the two to be separated. When babies are closer to their mothers for on-demand breastfeeding, they are more likely to be breastfed before they begin crying, which makes the process easier and less stressful for both.
8. Baby-friendly hospitals encourage breastfeeding on demand.
There is absolutely no reason to withold food or comfort from a young infant; it is not possible to spoil them. When babies are breastfed on demand based on biological cues, they establish a biological, need-based schedule and the mother's breastmilk supply is steadily maintained. Breastfeeding on demand will also help to prevent complications like hypoglycemia in the new baby.
9. Baby-friendly hospitals give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants.
As with bottles, pacifiers can sometimes lead to the problem of nipple confusion, causing newborns to reject the breast. The use of pacifiers to soothe newborn infants may also impair proper bonding through breastfeeding, since the baby will learn quickly to depend on an artificial teat for comfort, rather than the presence of his own mother. Pacifiers are always best avoided for breastfed newborns.
10. Baby-friendly hospitals foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
It is very important for a breastfeeding mother to have proper peer support and an ability to contact a lactation consultant on demand. If no support groups of lactation consultants are available, the breastfeeding mother is much more likely to stop breastfeeding or begin supplementing with formula if a complication arises that she does not have the education to solve alone.
Routine formula feeding is a serious public health risk, but its frequency can be mitigated by the introduction and popularization of baby-friendly hospitals. To find a baby-friendly hospital in your area, contact your local WIC office, medical directory, or lactation consultant.