Evie's Desk: World Breastfeeding Week

The designation of "baby friendly" developed out of a global program, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund. The intent is to encourage hospitals and birthing centers to support the practice of breastfeeding by completing the following ten steps:

• Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
• Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
• Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
• Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
• Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they are separated from their infants.
• Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated.
• Practice "rooming in"-- allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
• Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
• Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.
• Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.

In March of this year First 5 LA awarded seven grants to hospitals throughout the county for our five-year Best Start Baby-Friendly Hospital project, aimed at helping those hospitals gain the status of "baby-friendly."

Evelyn V. Martinez

Executive Director
First 5 LA

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