Breastfeeding Friendly Clinic
Sangwai Clinics play an important role in supporting breastfeeding in their communities. Clinics provide key linkages between prenatal, birth, and postpartum care. Health care providers influence a woman’s decision to breastfeed and the quality of support influences how long she breastfeeds. We want to recognize the effort, time, and cost it takes to change clinic practices to support breastfeeding. This support is critical to creating the healthiest next generation.
What Type of Clinic Should Apply?
Clinics serving women, infants, and families can achieve Breastfeeding Friendly recognition. Types of clinics include: community health, walk-in, hospital outpatient, combination practices, group medical practices, general hospital care centers, tertiary care centers, maternity center-based practices, solo medical practices, independent certified nurse-midwife practices and offices.
Breastfeeding Friendly Ten Steps for Clinics
Breastfeeding Friendly Sangwai Clinics is based on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding
- Make a commitment to the importance of breastfeeding.
- Inform women and families about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
- Assess infants during early follow-up visits.
- Encourage mothers to breastfeed when infants shows readiness or signs of hunger.
- Communicate support for breastfeeding in the clinic.
- Train all staff in the skills necessary to support breastfeeding.
- Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation.
- Use anticipatory guidance supporting exclusive breastfeeding until about 6 months of age, and encourage continued breastfeeding as long as mutually desired by mother and baby infant.
- Support breastfeeding by providing accurate information about maternal health.
- Expand the network of breastfeeding support in your community.