The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding were written in 1989. Since then, there has been an incredible advancement in our knowledge of the early physiology of neonates in the first hours and days after their birth. The new knowledge provides excellent evidence for the reader to share with hospital administrators and colleagues on how following the Ten Steps will lead to exclusive breastfeeding, decreased breast pathology, decreased infant morbidity and safe parenting following discharge.

The evidence in this book will be helpful to maternity hospital administrators who wish to advertise they offer best care in their maternity units, as hospitals need to be able to provide what clients have learned about BFHI from other sources, such as books, DVDs and the internet, to be the best care for happy and healthy families.

Whether you are an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant or a maternity health professional this easy to read, well-referenced book will help you in your quest for BFHI accreditation for your maternity unit. This will also be a helpful handbook for use by WIC staff members in their discussions with local and state hospitals to assure that their clients, independent of financial resources, race or religion, will receive the best care in a maternity hospital.

The evidence in this book will be particularly helpful in demonstrating to maternity hospital or maternity unit administrators how implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding will help in decreasing the need for staff and equipment in a well-baby nursery; in increasing bedside care for postnatal women to educate them in the safe care of their infants after discharge from hospital, therefore decreasing the re-admission of neonates to hospital; in lessening admission of small vulnerable formula-fed infants to their pediatric unit with preventable infections; and in decreasing staff absenteeism to care for their ill formula-fed infants.