Breastfeeding of Very Low-Weight Infants Before and After Implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative

Breastfeeding Support in Spanish Neonatal Intensive Care Units and the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative

“…Some individual centers [18][19][20][21] previously reported an increase in breastfeeding rates at discharge from NICUs after BFHI accreditation of their maternity services. However, they did not specify which measures made the difference.…”

“…Previous studies [18][19][20][21] indicated that BFHI accreditation of maternity services increases breastfeeding rates at discharge from the NICU. However, no information exists regarding which breastfeeding promotion measures in the NICUs improve with the BFHI accreditation of the maternity wards.…”

Expansion of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding into Neonatal Intensive Care

“…In one unit in the United States, 4 years after the Baby-Friendly designation, NICU breastfeeding initiation rates had increased from 35% to 74%, the proportion of infants at the postnatal age of 2 weeks receiving any breast milk had increased from 28% to 66%, and the proportion receiving breast milk exclusively increased from 9% to 39%. 10 Another study in Brazil after implementation of the BFHI found a higher rate of exclusive breastfeeding in preterm infants at the postnatal age of 6 months compared to before. 10 Another study in Brazil after implementation of the BFHI found a higher rate of exclusive breastfeeding in preterm infants at the postnatal age of 6 months compared to before.…”

Factors associated with infants receiving their mother's own breast milk on discharge from hospital in a unit where pasteurised donor human milk is available

“…Many factors have the potential to influence whether a mother successfully breastfeeds their very preterm infant. Factors associated with a greater proportion of preterm babies successfully breastfeeding include older maternal age [20][21][22] ; early initiation of breastfeeding 23 ; higher parity 21,[24][25][26] ; higher socio-economic and educational status 20,21,24,27 ; marital status as married 28 ; and a range of practices including skin-to-skin post delivery, 29 implementation of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, [30][31][32] maternal breastfeeding education, bedside nursing and lactation practitioners support, 21,22,29,[33][34][35][36][37][38] the practice of kangaroo mother care, 32,39-41 the use of pacifiers and lullabies 42 and the practice of pre-feed oral stimulation. 43 Conversely, factors associated with a smaller proportion of preterm babies successfully breastfeeding include prematurity and low birthweight, 20,21,25,32,[44][45][46] prolonged length of hospital stay, 20,21,25,26,44,45 multiple pregnancy, 20 chronic neonatal lung dis...…”