Breastfeeding and relationship building: turning evidence into practice

It is a sign of good progress that health professionals are now encouraged to implement strategies to support women to breastfeed, and to deliver services that support women to build a close, loving relationship with their babies. But how do we ensure that these services are evidence-based and economically sound? The evidence-base of effectiveness for interventions to promote and support the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding is well established (Unicef 2013). Current evidence suggests that local service provision should comprise of an appropriate mix of breastfeeding services to reflect the diversity of local needs including implementation of the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative across maternity, neonatal, health visiting and children's centre services (National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2006). This article takes a practical approach for midwives applying theory to practice when deciding what interventions to employ to support women in their infant feeding and relationship building with their baby.