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The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative for neonatal wards. A mini review
Ragnhild Maastrup1,2, Leena Hannula3, Mette Ness Hansen4
1Knowledge Centre for Breastfeeding Infants with Special Needs, Department of Neonatology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Insights
The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative for Neonatal Wards (Neo-BFHI) expands breastfeeding support for all neonatal care levels. It aligns with WHO/UNICEF recommendations for vulnerable newborns, promoting successful infant feeding practices.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Public health
- Infant nutrition
Background:
- The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) promotes breastfeeding.
- Neonatal care settings require tailored breastfeeding support.
- WHO/UNICEF guidelines address breastfeeding for vulnerable newborns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative for Neonatal Wards (Neo-BFHI).
- To outline the components of Neo-BFHI.
- To highlight alignment with global infant feeding recommendations.
Main Methods:
- Mini-review of Neo-BFHI framework.
- Description of Guiding Principles and Ten Steps.
- Reference to WHO/UNICEF 2020 recommendations.
Main Results:
- Neo-BFHI is an expansion of the original BFHI for neonatal care.
- It incorporates Three Guiding Principles and Ten Steps.
- Neo-BFHI aligns with 2020 WHO/UNICEF recommendations for small, sick, and preterm infants.
Conclusions:
- Neo-BFHI provides a framework for supporting breastfeeding in neonatal units.
- The initiative addresses the specific needs of infants and families in neonatal care.
- It integrates global best practices for infant and young child feeding.
Abstract:
The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative for Neonatal Wards (Neo-BFHI) is an expansion of the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding to address the needs of infants and families in all levels of neonatal care. The Neo-BFHI includes Three Guiding Principles as basic tenets, Ten Steps to protect, promote and support breastfeeding closely following the original Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, and adherence to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. In 2020, the WHO/UNICEF published recommendations for breastfeeding small, sick and preterm newborns that aligns with the Neo-BFHI. Conclusion: This mini review provides a brief description of the content in the Neo-BFHI.
