Baby Friendly Health Initiative

Protecting, Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding in Australia

Welcome to the
Baby Friendly Health Initiative

The Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) is an international project that aims to give every baby the best start in life by creating a health care environment where breastfeeding is the norm and practices known to promote the health and well-being of all babies and their mothers are followed.

The BFHI Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding are the global standard by which health services are assessed and accredited. A 'Baby Friendly' health service is one where mothers' informed choice of feeding is supported, respected and encouraged.

The recent name change from Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative to Baby Friendly Health Initiative was to more accurately describe the work the Initiative is now doing. With the exciting developments in the Community Baby Friendly part of the Initiative it was felt that this name change was a very appropriate and positive move.

In Australia, the Australian College of Midwives administers the Baby Friendly Health Initiative.

Events

News

The ‘Did You Know’( available here) power point presentation has been developed by Majorie Atchan to help promote World Breastfeeding Week. She has done a fantastic job and it will be great to share it with as many people as possible.
The slides could be used as a presentation, or as single slides.
Congratulations Marjorie on a fantastic presentation.



There are currently 63 Baby Friendly accredited Health Services in Australia

BFHI FAQ

Purchase BFHI Information Package

Purchase posters for Ten steps and breastfeeding promotion

Success Stories
  • In Cuba, where 49 of the country's 56 Healths and maternity facilities are baby-friendly, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at four mounths almost tripled in six years - from 25 per cent in 1990 to 72 per cent in 1996.

  • In the first two years of BFHI implementation at the Central Health of Libreville in Gabon, cases of neonatal diarrhoea fell by 15 per cent, diarrhoeal dehydration declined by 14 per cent and mortality fell by 8 per cent.

  • In China, which now has more than 6,000 Baby-Friendly Health services, exclusive breastfeeding in rural areas rose from 29 per cent in 1992 to 68 per cent in 1994; in urban areas, the increase was from 10 per cent to 48 per cent.

  • The Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, initiated one of the first Baby-Friendly Health services. As a result, initiation of breastfeeding within the first two hours increased. With a strong Step 10, a monthly clinic, exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months increased from approximately 20% to over 60%.
 
PO Box 87 Deakin West ACT 2600 Ph 02 6230 7333 Fax 02 6230 6033 Email bfhi@midwives.org.au