The Eleven Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, which is a joint declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF aimed at protecting, promoting, and encouraging breastfeeding, encompasses fundamental strategies regarding lactation. National strategies have been established within the framework of these global guidelines. Under the scope of the Breastfeeding Promotion Program, the concept of "Baby-Friendly Hospitals" has been developed. The primary objective is to cover hospital births by preparing mothers from the prenatal period, ensuring they initiate breastfeeding immediately after delivery, and supporting them to sustain breastfeeding through follow-ups by healthcare personnel after discharge. Hospitals that provide maternity services and are evaluated within the framework of the 11 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding strategies receive the title of "Baby-Friendly Hospital." These institutions inform expectant mothers about breast milk and lactation starting from pregnancy, ensure that mothers breastfeed their babies immediately after birth, and guide mothers on how to breastfeed with the assistance of healthcare personnel trained in the latest up-to-date information.
Our Hospital's Policies on Breast Milk and Breastfeeding:
- Our breastfeeding policy outlined below has been adopted by all our healthcare personnel and is presented to the attention of all staff members at regular intervals.
- In line with this policy, our training unit subjects all healthcare personnel working at our hospital to 17 hours of theoretical and 3 hours of practical training, while auxiliary staff undergo 3 hours of theoretical training. All these sessions are strictly recorded and archived.
- All pregnant women who apply to our outpatient clinics or are referred for training by external Obstetricians and Gynecologists, as well as all mothers who give birth at our hospital, are comprehensively informed about the "Benefits and Methods of Breast Milk and Breastfeeding" by our midwives, nurses, and/or training coordinator.
- Nurses support mothers in initiating breastfeeding by ensuring skin-to-skin contact between babies and their mothers within the first half-hour to an hour following delivery.
- Mothers are shown proper breastfeeding techniques and are instructed on how to maintain lactation even when they are separated from their babies.
- Unless medically indicated, newborns are not given any food or beverage other than breast milk. Families are informed about exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, followed by the continuation of breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to two years of age and beyond.
- Mothers and infants are allowed to remain together in the same room 24 hours a day (rooming-in), unless medically counter-indicated.
- Mothers are strongly encouraged to breastfeed their babies on demand whenever the infant shows signs of hunger.
- No pacifiers, artificial teats, or teether devices of any kind are given to breastfed infants.
- To ensure the continuation of breastfeeding after discharge, solve potential issues they may encounter, and schedule routine checks for themselves and their babies, mothers are informed about accessible healthcare organizations and regional mother-support groups, if available. For any support requested from our hospital, mothers who have given birth can easily reach us via our hospital phone number at 444 6 112.
- Letoon Private Hospital adopts and strictly implements the "International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes" regulations across all its departments and facilities.