Breastfeeding Advocacy Toolkit

This document provides global guidance for implementing the recommendations outlined in the WHO guideline ‘Counselling of Women to Improve Breastfeeding Practices’. The core purpose of this document is to ensure that all women receive high quality breastfeeding counselling through ensuring that breastfeeding counselling programmes meet mothers’…, iImplementation Guidance on Counselling Women to Improve Breastfeeding Practices IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE ON COUNSELLING WOMEN TO IMPROVE BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES iiImplementation Guidance on Counselling Women to Improve Breastfeeding Practices United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) August 2021 ISBN (UNICEF): 978-92-806-5271-0 (electronic version)…

Midwives and nurses play a vital role in protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding worldwide. Skilled breastfeeding support from midwives and nurses helps prevent childhood infections and mortality, while boosting cognitive development and decreasing rates of obesity, diabetes and maternal and child cancers. This Advocacy Brief was…, ADVOCACY BRIEF The Role of Midwives and Nurses in Protecting, Promoting and Supporting BreastfeedingMidwives and nurses play a vital role in protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding worldwide. Skilled breastfeeding support from midwives and nurses helps prevent childhood infections and mortality, while boosting cognitive development and…

All inpatient newborns, except those affected by rare metabolic diseases, will benefit from breastfeeding and human milk. For many, it will mean their survival. This guidance aims to establish a system of care which emphasizes the provision of human milk to small, sick and/or premature infants, especially those who are initially unable to feed…

All health workers who care for women and children during the postnatal period and beyond have a key role to play in establishing and sustaining breastfeeding. Many health workers cannot fulfil this role effectively because they have not been trained to do so. This updated training course is built upon the revised 2018 Ten Steps to Successful…

The 2018 BFHI Implementation Guidance called for greater pre-service education on breastfeeding and called upon all maternity facilities to “Ensure that staff have sufficient knowledge, competence and skills to support breastfeeding (Step 2).” This guide presents a comprehensive competency verification toolkit to assist countries, health care…

WHO and UNICEF have established recommendations for breastfeeding practices. Although every mother decides how to feed her child, this decision is strongly influenced by economic, environmental, social and political factors. The Global Breastfeeding Scorecard analyzes indicators on how countries protect, promote and support breastfeeding through…

Breastfeeding is a pillar of child health, survival and development, and has positive health effects for women. Policies that protect, promote, and support breastfeeding can improve health and cognitive development for infants and young children, leading to better learning, educational attainment and productivity, increased household wages, and…, ADVOCACY BRIEF SKILLED BREASTFEEDING COUNSELLING Breastfeeding is a pillar of child health, survival and development, and has positive health effects for women. Policies that protect, promote, and support breastfeeding can improve health and cognitive development for infants and young children, leading to better learning, educational attainment…

Breastfeeding gives all children the healthiest start in life. Breastmilk acts as a baby’s first vaccine, stimulates brain development, and protects a woman’s health. When mothers breastfeed, everyone benefits. Breastfeeding leads to lower health care costs, healthier families, and a smarter workforce. Yet, only 44 per cent of children under six…, GLOBAL BREASTFEEDING COLLECTIVE A CALL TO ACTION Breastfeeding gives all children the healthiest start in life. Breastmilk acts as a babys first vaccine, stimulates brain development, and protects a womans health. When mothers breastfeed, everyone benefits. Breastfeeding leads to lower health care costs, healthier families, and a smarter workforce…

Breastfeeding saves lives. Research shows that, by increasing breastfeeding rates, we could save the lives of more than 820,000 children worldwide every year. Breast milk provides antibodies that give babies everywhere a healthy boost and protect them against many infections. Antibodies and bio-active factors in breast milk may fight against COVID…, KEY ADVOCACY MESSAGES ON BREASTFEEDING AND COVID-19 PREPARED BY THE GLOBAL BREASTFEEDING COLLECTIVE 8 MAY 2020 KEY MESSAGES FOR ALL GROUPSn Breastfeeding saves lives. Research shows that, by increasing breastfeeding rates, we could save the lives of more than 820,000 children worldwide every year. n Breast milk provides antibodies that give babies…

Breastfeeding gives children the healthiest start in life. Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients needed for the first six months of life and continues to partially fulfil children’s nutritional needs until age 2 and beyond, alongside nutritious complementary foods. The benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies are universal and…, ADVOCACY BRIEF BREASTFEEDING AND PREVENTION OF OVERWEIGHT IN CHILDREN Breastfeeding gives children the healthiest start in life. Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients needed for the first six months of life and continues to partially fulfil childrens nutritional needs until age 2 and beyond, alongside nutritious complementary foods. The…

Health workers have a vital role to play in educating mothers and other caregivers about infant and young child feeding. It is also their moral, legal and professional responsibility to protect, promote, and support optimal feeding. However, health workers and health care facilities throughout the world are often used by baby food companies to…

This report provides updated information on the status of implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions (“the Code”) in countries. It presents the legal status of the Code, including to what extent its provisions have been incorporated in national legal…