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The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and the ten steps for successful breastfeeding. a critical review of the literature

Journal of Perinatology volume 38, pages 623–632 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

There is no doubt regarding the multiple benefits of breastfeeding for infants and society in general. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) in a conjoint effort with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) developed the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” in 1992, which became the backbone of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). Following this development, many hospitals and countries intensified their position towards creating a “breastfeeding oriented” practice. Over the past two decades, the interest increased in the BFHI and the Ten Steps. However, alongside the implementation of the initiative, extensive research continues to evaluate the benefits and dangers of the suggested practices. Hence, it is our intention to make a critical evaluation of the current BFHI and the Ten Steps recommendations in consideration of the importance of providing an evidence-based breastfeeding supported environment for our mothers and infants.

To state that breastfeeding is best for infants is an understatement as its benefits are countless [1]. However, for many years, the declining rate of breastfeeding is attributable in part to a lack of appropriate support by many medical providers. Consequently, mothers did not receive consistent, timely, and adequate advice and assistance regarding breastfeeding [2, 3]. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was a response to the Innocenti Declaration on the Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding call for action proposal, which was adopted by the forty-fifth World Health Assembly in May 1992 [4, 5]. Since then, hospitals in many countries implemented the initiative, which gained an increased support in the US [6,7,8,9]. In the recent years, however, controversy emerged regarding its efficacy and safety [10,11,12].

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Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank the comments and critical review of the manuscript done by Dr. Henrietta Bada.

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  1. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA

    Enrique Gomez-Pomar

  2. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Medical Director, Rush Foundation Hospital, Meridian, MS, 39301, USA

    Robert Blubaugh

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Gomez-Pomar, E., Blubaugh, R. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and the ten steps for successful breastfeeding. a critical review of the literature. J Perinatol 38, 623–632 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-018-0068-0

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