Evaluation of breast-feeding promotion programs on hospitals of Kerman province during 1995

breast-milk is the best food for infants and protects them from many diseases.in order to investigate the quality of breast-feeding promotion programms a survey was performed with the help of a questionnaire prepared by UNICEF ,titled as self assessment of maternity hospitals and other hospitals.the findings are as follow:none of the hospitals had a specific procedure to evaluate the efforts for breast-feeding promotion.16 hospitals (94%) had a clear policy for protecting,promoting,and supporting breast-feeding.although 15 hospitals (88%) declared that their staff members have become familiar with the policy of breast-feeding,only in 8 hospitals(47%) all staff members have been trained at the beginning,only 9 hospitals (53%) had prenatal care clinic for pregnant mothers.the interest of mothers for breast-feeding were evaluated during the period of anesthetic drug usage in only 8 hospitals(47%).in 13 hospitals (76%),the skin contact of mother and baby have been started in the first half hour of normal veginal delivery,and staff of midwifery ward have helped the mothers in breast-feeding during the first hour of delivery.in 15 hospitals (88%),mothers were taught how to embrace their babies in a correct way and in 11 hospitals(65%) mothers who hadnot breast-feed before or they had problems in breast-feeding,had received special care.in 8 hospitals (47%),exclusive breast-feeding was held,although using formula bottle and pacifier was officially prohibitels,but in two hospitals.the policy was not put in action,and no related training was done.rooming -in was considered an hour after the mother became conscious from normal vaginal delivery in 16 hospitals(94%) and for cesarean section in only 7 hospitals (58%).none of the hospitals had any specific procedure to evaluate and monitor the efforts for promotion of breast-feeding and no group had been established to support the breast-feed mothers.in conclusion the major problem in these hospitals in relation to promotion of breast0feeding is lack of any evaluation system to measure such efforts.also no supportive groups were formed in Kerman for breast-feeding and the hospitals did not have programs to follow up the mothers and help them with breast-feeding after they leave the hospitals.