Implementation guidance on counselling women to improve breastfeeding practices

Overview

Breastfeeding counselling is recognized as an important approach to improving global breastfeeding practices. In 2018, the WHO guideline on Counselling of women to improve breastfeeding practices outlined six key recommendations to ensure that breastfeeding counselling is provided: 

• to all pregnant women and mothers with young children;
• in both the antenatal period and postnatally, and up to 24 months or longer;
• at least six times, and additionally as needed;
• through face-to-face counselling, or in addition, through telephone or other remote modes of counselling in certain contexts;
• as a continuum of care, by appropriately trained health care professionals and community-based lay and peer breastfeeding counsellors;
• as anticipatory guidance to address important challenges and contexts for breastfeeding, in addition to establishing skills, competencies and confidence among mothers.

This implementation guidance offers support for implementing these six recommendations at national and subnational levels.