[Promoting and supporting breast-feeding: Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative]

The objective of this article is to analyze the "Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative" in Brazil. This initiative, that intends to support, protect and promote breast-feeding, has been proposed in a meeting in Florence, Italy, in 1990, promoted by OMS and UNICEF. The basic goal of this initiative is to mobilize health professionals and hospital or maternity workers to change their routines and conducts in order to prevent early wean. Health establishments are evaluated based on the "Ten steps for the success of breast-feeding" (a group of goals created in the same meeting by a group of health and nutrition specialists). In Brazil, the evaluation is coordinated by PINAM, and carried out in two steps. If approved, the hospital receives extra payment for childbirth assistance and prenatal follow-up. Up to now 64 hospitals in Brazil have received approval. Data from PNIAM show that the implementation of the ten steps and the encouragement of breast-feeding resulted in significant increase of its levels in Brazil.