National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools

At different conferences and outreach events NCCMT has attended in the past few months, many network members have been discussing the process of implementing breastfeeding best practice guidelines across their health unit or regional health authority. We’ve also heard of the growing interest for organizations to adopt the Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) and to seek BFI accreditation.

Are you currently trying to roll out breastfeeding guidelines across your organization? Have you already had success in doing so? What methods or tools did you use to help implement these guidelines? What changes needed to occur in your organization to adopt these guidelines?

Feel free to use this discussion topic to post questions, share resources and your experiences of how your organization implemented breastfeeding best practice guidelines.

Although many of us can understand the benefits of seeking BFI accreditation or adopting a breastfeeding best practice guideline in our organization, I have heard from many public health practitioners from across the country that the process seems quite daunting to them and they don't know where to start. There are many individual and organizational barriers to change that they are facing. For example, just one of the many things we'd need to consider is: do we need to change what nurses in our organization are teaching in prenatal and/or parenting classes and home visits related to breasfeeding or formula feeding and the key messages they are providing?

Public health professionals often work with many stakeholders and community groups in external settings as well as working in their own organization. As a result it can be difficult to implement a best practice guideline. Does any have experience with this? There is probably a lot we can learn from each other. What has worked and what hasn't? Why or why not?