Who Benefits from Baby-Friendly™?
The woman and her child
- Consistent care, information and advice. Staff in maternity and pediatric units have a written policy, which they understand and follow.
- Consistent and skilled help with breastfeeding. Staff are required to be able to support women who wish to breastfeed.
- Early initiation of breastfeeding. Babies are not unnecessarily removed from mothers at birth, thereby encouraging the instinctive seeking and suckling behaviours. When mother and baby need to be separated the mother is helped with expressing her milk and the expressed milk is given to the baby.
- Mother's milk is valued. No food or drink other than breastmilk is given.
- Breastfeeding is valued. Artificial nipples and soothers are avoided.
- Empowerment. The woman has authority for her own resource, breastfeeding.
Those who care for mothers and babies
- Increased knowledge, as evidence for the Global Hospital Assessment Criteria becomes better understood.
- Increased skills. Staff are committed to the support of breastfeeding mothers and their babies, even the difficult ones.
- Increased professional competence, as practices are investigated and challenged, and changes are made.
- A new respect for the woman, the baby, and their ability to breastfeed when given appropriate support. The midwife/nurse is "with woman", rather than providing nursing management of a disease.
- As the care becomes "woman-centred" rather than "task centred", all staff respect the woman's need for consistent advice and empowerment, thereby increasing cooperation and collaboration between different staff members.
Maternity units
- A high standard that is measured by the unit and confirmed by a Baby-Friendly™ team representing professional and lay assessors.
- A Global Hospital Assessment Criteria, recognised and respected by professionals and consumers.
- Valuable in marketing the services provided.
- Considerable monetary savings.
The family
- Health and development of infant.
- Health of mother.
- Cost saving, immediate and long term, breastfeeding is the "Best Investment" a family can make.
The community
- Flow-on from family.
- Environmental considerations. No waste products.