WBW 2000: The Right to an Informed Choice about Infant Feeding

Mothers are the ultimate caretakers of their infants. Mothers have a right to all the information necessary to make good choices about how to feed their families. Mothers have a right to be an active member of a dialogue and negotiation process about her behaviours. She has a right to participate in the decision about how she will feed her children, as opposed to being a passive recipient of lecture style "counselling."

Mothers and their families also have the right to expect that all health care services, from prenatal through postpartum, including well child clinics and family planning services, etc. are as supportive as possible of optimal infant feeding. Mothers have the right to expect quality support from health workers who are knowledgeable and skilled about infant feeding, and not just mouthing the words "breast is best."

Mothers have a right to choose breastfeeding and not be put in a position of having only one option: to give artificial feeds because of someone else's actions or inaction.

--From: Monica King, LINKAGES Information Disseminate Component.