To provide the best service, we must follow and implement developments in the healthcare field…
Our hospital is continuing efforts to obtain the title of “Baby-Friendly Neonatal Intensive Care” within the scope of the “Promotion of Breastfeeding and Baby-Friendly Health Institutions Program” conducted by the Ministry of Health.
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL BREASTFEEDING IN BABY-FRIENDLY NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNITS
The following recommendations should be implemented in neonatal intensive care units in addition to the “10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding”:
All healthcare personnel working in neonatal intensive care units must have received training in breast milk and breastfeeding counseling and be competent to provide this counseling. The training should include low-birth-weight and/or at-risk infants.
For babies admitted to neonatal intensive care who cannot breastfeed, the mother’s breasts should be expressed within the first six hours after birth and then every 2–3 hours to provide necessary stimulation for milk production.
Unless medically contraindicated (mother unavailable or breastfeeding contraindicated), babies in neonatal intensive care should receive their own mother’s milk. For infants unable to breastfeed directly, feeding should be provided via cup, syringe, or nasogastric tube. Babies who become capable of breastfeeding should start immediately. If the mother’s milk is insufficient, lactation support should be provided.
Conditions for mother–baby togetherness should be ensured in the unit (mother’s hotel, rooming-in rooms, etc.).
Mother and baby should have as much skin-to-skin contact as possible; kangaroo care should be prioritized, and technical barriers or unnecessary interventions should be minimized.
17 Şubat 2026