Bibliographic Info
GuidelineWHO recommendations on maternal health: guidelines approved by the WHO Guidelines Review Committee, second edition. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025
Year of Publication2023
Issuing InstitutionWorld Health Organization
Recommendation
Status
Updated
Recommended
Certainty of evidence
Moderate
Breastfeeding counselling should be provided to all pregnant women and mothers with young children
Notes and Remarks
- 1.Counselling is a process and interaction between counsellors and pregnant women or mothers. Breastfeeding counselling is therefore not intended to be a “top-down” intervention of “telling women what to do”. The aim of breastfeeding counselling is to empower women to breastfeed, while respecting their personal situations and wishes. Breastfeeding counselling is, therefore, never to be forced upon any woman. This would be contrary to the concept of counselling. Rather, counselling is made available and accessible to all pregnant women and mothers, particularly those who are considering or already breastfeeding.
- 2.Breastfeeding counselling for pregnant women can enable them to have the best start at breastfeeding, with support to allow mothers and their neonates to initiate breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth, stay together throughout the day and night, and establish and maintain breastfeeding with proper attachment and positioning.
- 3.Sensitive and effective counselling can assist mothers who are considering or are already breastfeeding to overcome challenges. By emphasizing that breastfeeding provides protection and comfort as well as food, counselling can respond to the particular barriers that individual mothers face. Mothers who may not be considering breastfeeding could be supported to make informed choices about feeding their infants and children. Counselling can highlight the extensive and resounding evidence on the benefits of breastfeeding, as well as providing mothers with scientific, unbiased and factual information about other infant and young child feeding choices, so that they can safely and responsively feed their child.
- 4.Those who are breastfeeding as well as giving additional foods or fluids (such as infant formula milk or other breast-milk substitutes) are encouraged to continue breastfeeding as much as they are able to, while they are supported with sensitivity and care to address challenges that they may be facing around feeding their child