RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BREASTFEEDING TERM, HEALTHY BABIES

Key words: Breastfeeding, Prenatal education, Early contact, Rooming-in, Training, Peer counselling, Appropriate discharge, Recommendations

An ad hoc committee was established by the Italian Society of Neonatology, to develop recommendations for breastfeeding (BF) term, healthy babies. The main recommendations include the following : information about BF should start before birth, possibly as a collaborative, multidisciplinary effort; early contact and early initiation of BF immediately after birth are beneficial and should be promoted, as well as rooming-in during the stay in maternity; BF should be exclusive and given on demand; the use of bottles and pacifiers should be discouraged; health professionals should receive specific training on BF support; discharge from maternity should be decided taking into account individual preferences, medical as well as social conditions; BF support should continue after discharge, based on existing primary health care services and on peer counselling and support.