10 'baby' steps for hospitals

1. Maintain a written breast-feeding policy routinely communicated to staff.

2. Train all staff in skills to implement policy.

3. Inform all pregnant women about benefits of breast-feeding.

4. Help mothers initiate breast-feeding within one hour of birth.

5. Show mothers how to breast feed and maintain lactation, even if separated from infants.

6. Give infants no food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated.

7. Keep all mothers and infants together 24 hours a day.

8. Encourage unrestricted breast-feeding.

9. Give no pacifiers to breast-feeding infants.

10. Foster establishment of breast-feeding support groups or refer mothers to them after discharge.

Source: Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative