
Baby Friendly Ten Steps to Success:
One Have a written breastfeeding policy is routinely communicated to all healthcare staff.
Two Train all health care staff in the skills necessary to implement this policy.
Three Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
Four Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
Five Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they are separated from their infants.
Six Give infants no food or drink, other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.
Seven Practice rooming-in- allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
Eight Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
Nine Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.
Ten Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or birth center.
The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding form the basis of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a worldwide breastfeeding quality improvement project created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers also uphold the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes by offering parents support, education, and educational materials that promote the use of human milk rather than other infant food or drinks, and by refusing to accept or distribute free or subsidized supplies of breastmilk substitutes, nipples, and other feeding devices.