<b>Implantation of the baby friendly hospital initiative at university hospital</b> - doi: 10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v11i5.17060

Abstract

The “Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative” is a worldwide strategy endorsed by the World Health Organization and by the United Nations Children’s Fund to promote, protect and support breastfeeding through hospital actions known as “10 Steps to successful breastfeeding”. The aim of this study was to describe the implantation process of this strategy at the Northern Paraná School Hospital, in Londrina. The methodology consisted of interviews with health workers of the Neonatology ward and search in documents referring to the “10 Steps to successful breastfeeding” implementation process in that institution. Data was collected in the first semester of 2001 and data was analyzed comparing the fulfillment of the 10 steps before and after the strategy implementation. Results show that the implemented strategy provided imported changes in breastfeeding during mothers’ hospitalization due to childbirth. We conclude that the implementation of the 10 steps contributed to the cessation of use of milk formulas which were replaced for human milk.