Neonatal infant feeding policy, National Neonatal Network Guideline

This policy aims to support all staff to provide care that improves outcomes for babies and their families, specifically to deliver:

a. Improved parents’ experiences of care: parents’ views should be listened to through regular audit and parents’ experience surveys. Care should be family centred and nonjudgmental. Parents should be enabled to contribute to decision making and to be primary care givers for their baby.

b. Collaboration and continuity of standards amongst staff working across disciplines. All documentation across and between services should fully support the implementation of these standards.

c. An increase in the number of sick and premature babies receiving expressed breast milk and an increase in the number of babies discharged home continuing to breastfeed or receive breast milk.

d. Improved outcomes for mothers who choose to formula feed including an increase in those doing so safely and responsively.