Baby Friendly

NWA Statement on the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative

NWA urges all birthing hospitals and facilities adopt the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding to ensure delivery of high-quality care to all mothers and babies. In endorsing the Baby-Friendly Hospital […]

Long-Term Breastfeeding Support: Failing Mothers in Need

This study analyzed mothers reports of breastfeeding care experiences from pregnancy through infancy. The results showed that mothers often felt that the education and support they received was cursory and inadequate. Some mothers received misinformation or encountered practitioners who were hostile or indifferent to breastfeeding. Mothers were not often given referrals to available resources, even after reporting breastfeeding challenges.

The Effect of Baby-friendly Status on Exclusive Breastfeeding in U.S. Hospitals

The BF hospital designation was associated with significantly higher EBF rates independent of demographic variables. Support for hospitals to attain the BF hospital designation is a meaningful public health goal.

Tarrant County Resource Guide: English & Spanish

Tarrant County created this resource guide to promote and increase community clinical linkages as part of the CPHMC project. This guide provides contact information for health and wellness, housing, food […]

Making New London County Breastfeeding Friendly

Thames Valley Council for Community Action (TVCCA) presented this poster at NWA’s Annual Conference in April 2017. This poster highlighted their local work on breastfeeding during the CPHMC project. Activities […]

Hospital Staff Armed with Skills to Support New Moms at Breastfeeding Boot Camp

Tarrant County created this poster to highlight their local work on their breastfeeding boot camps during the CPHMC project. The poster was presented at NWA’s Annual Conference in May 2016. […]

Impact of the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative on Breastfeeding and Child Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Adherence to the BFHI Ten Steps has a positive impact on short-term, medium-term and long-term breastfeeding (BF) outcomes. There is a dose-response relationship between the number of BFHI steps women are exposed to and the likelihood of improved BF outcomes (early BF initiation, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) at hospital discharge, any BF and EBF duration). Community support (step 10) appears to be essential for sustaining breastfeeding impacts of BFHI in the longer term.

Breastfeeding Protection, Promotion, and Support in the United States: A Time to Nudge, a Time to Measure

Breastfeeding rates in the United States can improve based on a well coordinated social marketing framework including mass media, appropriate facility based and community based support, WIC-coordinated community based peer counseling, and adequate protection for working women.