What is the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in Ireland?

• The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global campaign by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) which recognises that implementing best practice in the maternity service is crucial to the success of programmes to promote breastfeeding.
• The Initiative was launched in 1991 and there are more than 19,000 hospitals/maternity units in 148 countries worldwide, including over 300 in Europe, had been officially recognised as Baby Friendly. Ireland’s BFHI commenced in April 1998
• The first Irish hospitals to reach Baby Friendly standard were Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway and Waterford Regional Hospital. The award were presented at the EU Breastfeeding Promotion Conference on 18 June 2004, in Dublin Castle, by Minister for Health and Children, Mr Micheál Martin.
• St Munchin's Regional Maternity Hospital, Limerick became the third hospital to reach this standard in October 2004. St Munchin's Hospital is Ireland's first midwifery teaching hospital to meet the BFHI criteria
• The Rotunda Hospital, Dublin and the Maternity Services of University College Hospital, Galway met the criteria and their awards were presented on June 14, 2006.
• Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda met the criteria and their Baby-friendly award and Breastfeeding Supportive Workplace Silver Award were presented on October 2, 2007 by Mr Pat The Cope Gallagher,TD, Minister of State for Health Promotion, Depratment of Health and Childre
• Cavan Hospital was presented with their Baby-friendly award and Breastfeeding Supportive Workplace Bronze Award on April 1st, 2008 by Mr Brendan Smith, Minister for Children
• All the maternity units in the HSE Dublin North East region now hold Baby-friendly National awards as well as workplace awards

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative can be viewed as a quality initiative implementing research based best practices. The successful implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding ensures that the hospital/unit supports and promotes informed parental choice through the provision of appropriate, accurate and unbiased information and discussions. The initiative involves health promoting practices and so is ideally linked with the objectives of the Health Promoting Hospitals Network, the designating authority for the BFHI in Ireland.

In Ireland, BFHI also has a Breastfeeding Supportive Paediatric Unit Project and a Breastfeeding Supportive Workplace Project.

See our Project Resources for more information

What do the National Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative co-ordinator
and the BFHI advisory committee do?

BFHI and the National Strategic Action Plan for Breastfeeding

How BFHI participation links to achieving the strategic objectives
National Strategic Action Plan for Breastfeeding

Contact Information

The BFHI in Ireland is a project within the Irish Network of Health Promoting Hospitals. The BFHI Coordinator, Genevieve Becker, works part-time, so is best contacted in writing rather than by phone.
Postal address
c/o Irish National Health Promoting Hospitals Network, ConnollyHospital, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15

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http://www.ihph.ie/babyfriendlyinitiative/