Implementation of the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative

Breastfeeding has many health benefits for both the mother and infant. Breast milk contains all the nutrients an infant needs in the first six months of life. Breastfeeding protects against diarrhoea and common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, and may also have longer-term health benefits for the mother and child, such as reducing the risk of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence. Breastfeeding has also been associated with higher intelligence quotient (IQ) in children.

To reduce infant mortality and ill health, WHO recommends that mothers begin breastfeeding their infants within one hour of birth – referred to as “early initiation of breastfeeding”. This ensures that the infant receives the colostrum (“first milk”), which is rich in protective and regulatory factors. Infants should also be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health, with continued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond.

The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative is a global effort to implement practices that protect, promote and support breastfeeding. It aims to ensure that all maternity facilities become centres of breastfeeding support.

Since its launch by WHO and UNICEF in 1991, more than 150 countries have implemented the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative. The Initiative has had a measurable and proven impact, increasing both early initiation of breastfeeding and the likelihood of infants being exclusively breastfed from birth until six months of age.