Exclusive breastfeeding rates of women at discharge, three and six months postpartum prior to BFHI implementation at a tertiary facility: A prospective cohort study

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is recommended for both short and long term optimal infant and maternal health. There is currently a national focus on improving breastfeeding duration rates, with Australian rates for exclusive breastfeeding at six months postpartum 15.4%, below the national recommendation of 50%. The Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) promotes The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding as a benchmark that assists maternity facilities to improve breastfeeding practices and thus breastfeeding rates. This project explored breastfeeding initiation and duration rates of women discharged from a tertiary hospital in Australia prior to achieving BFHI accreditation. It is planned to collect the same data post-BFHI accreditation, which will be the first time such a study has been conducted in the Australian setting.