Introduction
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative...
 Hospitals
and maternity units plays a crucial role in the care of mothers and
their newborns. In 1991, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative ( BFHI )
was launched by UNICEF and WHO, following the Innocenti
Declaration in 1990, to ensure that all maternity facilities
become centres of breastfeeding support.To
gain the "baby-friendly" accreditation, a maternity facility
must implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, and must not
accept free or low-cost breastmilk substitutes, feeding bottles or
teats. It must go through an assessment process, which is currently controlled by national breastfeeding authorities, based on the Global Criteria for BFHI that can be applied to maternity care in every country.
In
many areas where hospitals have been designated Baby-Friendly, more
mothers are breastfeeding their infants, and child health has improved.
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