～The Global Initiative for Mother Support

GIMS for Breastfeeding, a global initiative coordinated by the Mother Support Task Force of the World

Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), aims to create the appropriate environment of awareness and support for a mother to initiate and sustain breastfeeding. As defined by GIMS, mother support is any support provided to mothers for the purpose of improving breastfeeding practices for both mother and baby.
The support needed varies from woman to woman but generally includes encouragement, accurate and timely information, humane care during childbirth, advice, reassurance, affirmation, hands-on assistance,and practical tips.

Moral and social support is needed from many persons in different places. Women need the support of professional health providers, employers, friends, family and the community. Conditions need to be created during pregnancy, birth and lactation so that women can safely carry healthy babies to term and give birth in the company of those they select to share this experience. Employed women should receive support for practicing exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding after the introduction of complementary foods.

GIMS is based on an approach that respects human rights and women’s reproductive rights. This approach calls for men’s participation and community involvement. GIMS emphasizes gender-sensitive support services, women’s right to good prenatal education and care, and respectful and women-centered birthing practices that give an appropriate and adequate measure of control to women. GIMS recognizes the role of experienced women in the community who can share their wisdom on health, food and medicine.

While broad in scope, the Global Initiative for Mother Support for Breastfeeding is further defined by networks of individuals and organizations concerned with breastfeeding support. Some groups may focus on strengthening community support systems, others on mother-to-mother support, support groups, or health services.

Background Information on GIMS for Breastfeeding In 1990, policy makers from 31 governments, representatives of ten UN agencies, and other participants at a WHO/UNICEF meeting adopted the Innocenti Declaration on the Protection, Promotion, and Support of Breastfeeding. During the decade of the 90’s, the Innocenti Declaration provided momentum for the global breastfeeding movement, particularly in launching the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and
strengthening implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.
The Innocenti Declaration also served as the driving force for setting international targets (particularly for policy issues and health services), increasing support for working women and establishing national breastfeeding committees.

In reviewing the current state of breastfeeding, WABA identified areas that need reinforcing. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), focused on the infant, does not sufficiently address the needs of women.
It is time to make BFHI more “mother friendly” by ensuring that antenatal, labor, delivery and postnatal care for the mother supports a woman’s health and well being, recognizing that such care also supports optimal breastfeeding. Pregnant women and those who have just given birth are often in a precarious situation due to fragmented services and lack of supportive policies, procedures, and practices in health facilities.

Gaps occur in the community as well as in health facilities. In traditional societies, relatives and close friends provided women with the support and practical advice needed to successfully initiate and maintain breastfeeding. In some places this traditional support structure still exists, but in other settings it has broken down.

Aware of these needs at both the health facility and community levels, WABA resolved to develop an initiative that gives heightened attention to the “support” component of the Innocenti Declaration and calls for strategic thinking around support for mothers at all levels.

What is GIMS
Global Initiative for Mother Support (GIMS) for Breastfeeding is a global initiative that focuses on
women’s needs and rights to adequate and accurate information, support and health care services before,
during and after childbirth. The initiative takes a holistic view of women’s reproductive cycle, and
promotes various measures to help mothers and their infants experience optimal breastfeeding.

Vision for GIMS for Breastfeeding
Every woman irrespective of her circumstance of residence will have lay, professional and social support
for breastfeeding and will receive the necessary information, education and encouragement enabling her to have the breastfeeding experience she and her child want.

Purpose
To put optimal outcomes for the mother and her baby at the core of steps taken in providing breastfeeding information, education, support and care.

Focus
On practices that specifically affect breastfeeding outcomes for women during their reproductive cycle (pregnancy, childbirth, post-partum and breastfeeding). This does not preclude reaching out with education or support before or after this period or to their support network (partner, relatives, friends etc).

Goals
To broaden the support for mothers beyond the breastfeeding period, to include support during pregnancy, birth and post-natal
To develop guidelines and tools for transforming birthing practices that specifically affect
breastfeeding into a more humane and gender
sensitive health care practice
To promote a global understanding of mother
support that values, gives credibility and strengthens community-based mother support programmes and networks
To promote step 10 of the BFHI, and develop guidelines for putting it into effect by broadening the understanding of breastfeeding support groups
To link and collaborate with other issue movements such as those working on natural/humane
childbirth practices, family support, midwifery, women’s health and rights, etc. in order to facilitate a holistic view on mother support
To provide the impetus for changes in employment, health facility, and marketplace policies and practices so that women experience optimal pregnancy, birthing and breastfeeding outcomes.

GIMS for Breastfeeding
Statement
Given that:
Mothers are life-givers, bearers and nurturers of humanity
Mothers are the primary child care givers of their infants
Mothers need support to optimally feed their infants
Breastfeeding contributes to the health and well being of mothers and children, families and
communities
Many traditional forms of support for mothers have been undermined and threatened by forces of globalization, modernization and industrialization
Peer support group methodology has been shown to be effective in changing or maintaining optimal behaviors in a variety of fields such as substance abuse, cancer treatment, etc.
Mother support for breastfeeding is a concept not well understood or valued.

We declare the following:
Mothers should be considered active participants
in the support dynamic, being both recipients and providers of information and support
Mother support should be viewed and valued as an important contributor to optimal infant feeding practices throughout the reproductive cycle, with special attention on humanizing pregnancy and childbirth care
Mother support should be defined broadly as any support provided to mothers for the purpose of improving breastfeeding practices for both mother and baby
Mothers should receive support throughout their entire reproductive cycle (pregnancy, birthing and post-natal)
Mother-to-mother support groups are one of many ways that mother support can be provided
Mother support is particularly important for mothers at greatest risk for not breastfeeding optimally such as working women, women in emergency situations, women with HIV/AIDS, etc.

Therefore, we propose that:
Mother support should be given the highest priority for international, national and local attention and
funding
Information and practical help should be provided to the childbearing and breastfeeding woman
Strategies for ensuring sustainability of mother support efforts should be identified and implemented,
including provision of opportunities for networking and sharing of experiences, models, and tools

For more information, please contact: WABA Secretariat, PO Box 1200, 10850 Penang, Malaysia Tel:
604-6584816 Fax: 604-657 2655 Email: secr@waba.po.my Website: www.waba.org.br
www.waba.org.my Or the WABA Mother Support Task Force: Paulina Smith, Coordinator
<smithpc@att.net.mx> Norjinah Moin, Co-coordinator <norjinah@hotmail.com> Rebecca Magalhaes,
Co-coordinator <Rmagalhaes@llli.org>. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a global
people’s initiative to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. WABA acts on the Innocenti Declaration
and works in close liaison with UNICEF.

GIMS for Breastfeeding, Mother Support Task Force Jan 2002
World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), www.waba.org.my