WHO rules call for support for breastfeeding

Health facilities requested to follow 10 important steps

April 12, 2018 10:14 pm | Updated 10:14 pm IST - New Delhi

It also recommends limited use of breast milk substitutes. File photo: K. Pichumani

It also recommends limited use of breast milk substitutes. File photo: K. Pichumani

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday issued a new 10-step guidance to increase support for breastfeeding in health facilities that provide maternity and newborn services, which provide the immediate health system platform to help mothers initiate breastfeeding within the first hour and breastfeed exclusively for six months.

Breastfeeding all babies for the first 2 years would save the lives of more than 8,20,000 children under age 5 annually, noted a release issued by the WHO.

The guidelines describe how hospitals should have a written breastfeeding policy in place, required staff competencies, and antenatal and post-birth care, including breastfeeding support for mothers.

It also recommends limited use of breast milk substitutes, rooming-in, responsive feeding, educating parents on the use of bottles and pacifiers, and support when mothers and babies are discharged from hospital.

“Breastfeeding saves lives. Its benefits help keep babies healthy in their first days and last well into adulthood.

“But breastfeeding requires support, encouragement and guidance. With these basic steps, implemented properly, we can significantly improve breastfeeding rates around the world and give children the best possible start in life,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that in many hospitals and communities around the world, whether a child can be breastfed or not can make the difference between life and death, and whether over a child will develop to reach his or her full potential.

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