Supporting Breastfeeding

[Guest aymaniham]

Dear all,

Many hospitals now are going to be Baby Friendly as per Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) and WHO protocols.

I strongly suggest to make our favorite website 99nicu.org a Baby Friendly Website.

What do you think?

Regards

[Stefan Johansson]

If it is possible to make a web community a Baby Friendly Website, it's a great idea!

Do you know how we could accomplish this?

[sudershan.kumari]

It is a good idea to make web community a baby friendly website. In INDIA we have many hospitals recognised as baby friendly hospitals , adhereing tp WHO 10 ateps of breast feeding. Gone are the days when new born,s father walked in hospital with afeeding bottle and milk tin. Most hospitals in Delhi, have discarded baby feeding bottles, even the vlbw nicu discharges are sent home on breast/ spoon/cup feeding, which is ensured by staff before discharge home. Temporary mother infant seperation even for a month does not affect breast milk feeding, if the nicu staff is motivated and in turn can motivate the mother too

[JACK]

I agree with sudershan...The whole success of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) depends on how motivated the staff (doctors and nurses ) are in the NICU and well baby nursery. You need knowledge and time.... a whole lot of time to make BFHI a success.

[Stefan Johansson]

I have contacted WHO and UNICEF with a request about the BFHI, whether a web community can become accredited. Will report back when I get a response.

[Guest aymaniham]

Dear Stefan,

Sorry for delay in reply, as I was a bit busy for the last 2 mos.

We can do several things to make our website baby friendly:

1- We have to follow the international code of marketing of breast-milk substitutes.

2- We can Publish several materials about breastfeeding in the website, and we can present a monthly article about breastfeeding.

3- We can try partenrship with Breastfeeding Journal.

4- We can add links to websites that interested, advertising, and supporting breastfeeding.

I have good materials for that and we can share this project.

Regards

[Stefan Johansson]

Ayman,

I think you're idea is brilliant. The principal question is still whether a web site can be accredited as a "Baby Friendly Initiative" by WHO/UNICEF, but being a pragmatic person I think we must not have this formal accreditation. We just get "Baby Friendly" for our own sake, so to speak!

Would you be willing to lead the project "99nicu goes Baby Friendly"?

[selvanr4]

it's great to start breastfeeding early in the NICU itself.What we need is not the money or the materials.But only the time. In our small NICU we are following breatmilk only policy which has helped us to avoid NEC and other problems of formula feeds

dr.r.selvan

erode

india

[Stefan Johansson]

it's great to start breastfeeding early in the NICU itself...

I agree completely! Our breast feeding rates at discharge of preterm infants is nearly as good as rates among term infants. Our enteral nutrition for preterms is almost entirely based on breast milk (enriched with various nutrients).

I think 99nicu can play a supportive role for the encouragement of breastfeeding in NICU settings, that's why I think the "Baby Friendly" idea is so good! It would be great if someone would like to lead this work, he/she would be mostly welcome to the 99nicu Team!

And... I can garantuee this person that there's no money involved, i.e. no honorariums for the job, just a lot of respect and honour!

[Guest aymaniham]

Dear Stefan,

I will be so happy to lead this project.

Let us start with Posting the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding in an obvious area on the main page of the website.

We can post also the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.

Of course, we have to follow the code, ie no promotion for any type of formula on the website.

Later, we can add links for useful websites, videos, and mother support.

These are the Ten Steps and the Code

Regards

Ten Steps, BFHI_Revised_Section_3.2 10.pdf

International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.pdf