Successful breastfeeding: what does it mean?

Abstract

Successful breastfeeding has during the 90's been increasingly defined within parameters of time. Health professionals have seen this as vital for achieving the targets set by The Health of the Nation Document (Waldegrave, 1991) and The Welsh Protocol for Investment In Health Gain (Welsh Health Planning Forum, 1991). These documents have concentrated on increasing numbers of women choosing to breastfeed and the length of time they continue. While the ‘Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding’ produced by WHO and UNICEF (1989) have provided the guidelines to the professionals for achieving these targets. Midwives have a vital role in the support of breastfeeding women and need to be aware of the social, historical and cultural influences on breastfeeding. This article addresses not just this but also questions whether we should be using the criteria for successful breast feeding as laid out by protocols or if what we should be doing is identifying with women on an individual basis their concept of success and using this as our yardstick.