Mother-friendly/mamam prijazno means that individuals or an institution care for the wellbeing of mothers, children, and the family. It’s about encouraging and promoting “evidence-based” practice that is mother- and baby-friendly.
Maternity hospitals/health centres set a strong example for new mothers. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, established in 1991 under the auspices of UNICEF and the World Health Organization, works to ensure that all maternity wards, hospitals, and birth centres are welcoming to breastfeeding and support it.
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative – WHO
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative – UNICEF
This approach requires a sufficient number of trained staff who regularly refresh and build on their knowledge. Because of BFHI, mothers may feel that they are being pressured to breastfeed. As for healthcare workers’ satisfaction with this way of working, staff themselves say that it’s much more enjoyable to work with breastfeeding, and that they feel far more confident as BF consultants because they have the knowledge and have learned to use it in practice.
So we can see that mother- and baby-friendly practice can have positive as well as some negative effects. That’s why it’s very important that we regularly update and refresh our knowledge, because only then will we be able to approach our clients in a way that doesn’t frighten them. We need to know how to present the benefits of our approach appropriately and also accept their decisions, even if they don’t align with our policy, beliefs, and practice. So, when we talk about breastfeeding, we must not forget the mother’s human rights—“Human rights in childbirth”—and that, based on her experiences and beliefs, she may refuse breastfeeding and has every right to do so.
We also need to educate women.
Read also:
A maternity hospital that’s mother-friendly
Zanzu – My body in words and pictures
“Mother friendly” means that individuals or institutions are responsible for the care and welfare of mothers, children and families. It is about encouraging and promoting “evidence-based” practice that is mother- and child-friendly.
Hospitals and maternity units represent a powerful model for new mothers. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, which was established in 1991 under the patronage of UNICEF and the World Health Organization, strives to ensure that all maternity hospitals, hospitals, and birth centers are open to breastfeeding and support it.UNICEF – click
Because of the “Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative” (BFHI), mothers may feel pressured to breastfeed. But healthcare workers are satisfied. They say it’s a lot of fun to work with breastfeeding, and that they feel much more confident as BF consultants because they have the knowledge and have learned to use it in practice.
So we can see that women- and child-friendly practice can have positive as well as some negative effects. It is therefore very important that we regularly update and refresh our knowledge, because only then will we be able to approach our clients in a way that doesn’t frighten them. We need to know how to present the advantages of our approach appropriately and also accept their decisions, even if they don’t align with our policy, beliefs, and practice. So when we talk about breastfeeding, we should not forget the mother’s human rights “Human rights in childbirth”, and that, because of her experiences and beliefs, she has the right to refuse breastfeeding.