Upholding the Highest Standards of Infant Feeding Care
As the accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in the United States, Baby-Friendly USA (BFUSA) is responsible for coordinating and conducting all activities necessary to confer the prestigious Baby-Friendly® designation and ensure the widespread adoption of the BFHI in the US. We do this by:
- Refining and upholding the standards/criteria for successfully implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding in the US;
- Assessing and accrediting birthing facilities that meet those standards and follow the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes; and
- Generating widespread understanding of and enthusiasm for best practice infant feeding care.



Upholding the Highest Standards of Infant Feeding Care.
As the accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in the United States, Baby-Friendly USA (BFUSA) is responsible for coordinating and conducting all activities necessary to confer the prestigious Baby-Friendly® designation and ensure the widespread adoption of the BFHI in the US. We do this by:
- Refining and upholding the standards/criteria for successfully implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding in the US
- Assessing and accrediting birthing facilities that meet those standards and follow the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
- Generating widespread understanding of and enthusiasm for best practice infant feeding care



What’s New
Stepping Up to Step 10 at Trinity Health Ann Arbor
“Isn’t that amazing? It’s one of my favorite things to talk about.” That’s how Nancy Dmitruchina, MSN, RN, IBCLC, expresses her enthusiasm for the Breastfeeding Medicine practice at Trinity Health Ann Arbor in Michigan. TheRead more
BFUSA Welcomes Kinkini Banerjee and Brian Dittmeier to Board of Directors
BFUSA is pleased to welcome Kinkini Banerjee and Brian Dittmeier as the newest members of its Board of Directors. Both were introduced at the Board’s October 2 meeting. “We are thrilled to welcome Kinkini andRead more
Delaying Retirement for Baby-Friendly Designation
Dianne Velez, RN, BSN, IBCLC, was scheduled to retire in December 2022. As she was closing in on her 39th year of work at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, the popular nurse was getting ready toRead more
What SHOULD Happen With Rooming-In
Step 7 of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding calls for facilities to “enable mothers and their infants to remain together and to practice rooming-in 24 hours a day.” Regardless of whether a motherRead more
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