BCC BFI Integrated 10 Steps & WHO Code Practice Outcome Indicators for Hospitals and Community Health Services: Summary

Step 1: Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all healthcare providers and volunteers.

Step 2: Ensure all healthcare providers have the knowledge and skills necessary to implement the breastfeeding policy.

Step 3: Inform pregnant women and their families about the importance and process of breastfeeding.

Step 4: Place babies in uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with their mothers immediately following birth for at least an hour or until completion of the first feeding or as long as the mother wishes: encourage mothers to recognize when their babies are ready to feed, offering help as needed.

Step 5: Assist mothers to breastfeed and maintain lactation should they face challenges including separation from their infants.

Step 6: Support mothers to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months, unless supplements are medically indicated.

Step 7: Facilitate 24 hour rooming-in for all mother-infant dyads: mothers and infants remain together.

Step 8: Encourage baby-led or cue-based breastfeeding. Encourage sustained breastfeeding beyond six months with appropriate introduction of complementary foods.

Step 9: Support mothers to feed and care for their breastfeeding babies without the use of artificial teats or pacifiers (dummies or soothers).

Step 10: Provide a seamless transition between the services provided by the hospital, community health services and peer support programs.