This guide, from the Information & Knowledge for Optimal Health (INFO) Project of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, answers questions that women often ask about breastfeeding. The INFO Project aims to inform and improve health care and public health; enhance the capacity of communities and organisations to obtain, adapt, and generate knowledge and best practices; and connect communities, organisations, and individuals locally and globally to facilitate knowledge sharing. Providers of public health and medical care can access answers to questions organised under the following topics:

• Practicing Breastfeeding
• Breast milk Value
• Maintaining Breast Health
• Family Planning
• Illness or Infection

Each topical section is organised by questions with answers; for example, under the topic "Practicing Breastfeeding," the organising questions are:

1. Is it important to start breastfeeding right after the infant’s birth?
2. How often should a woman breastfeed her baby?
3. How long should each breastfeeding session last?
4. How can a woman know if her baby is latching on correctly?
5. When should a baby be given water, cereal or other liquids and foods?

The document includes a section on how to use this guide which states: "This guide offers health care providers a quick reference and easy-to-understand answers to some of the most common breastfeeding questions that pregnant women and mothers, their families, and community members have. The answers in the guide are based on the latest evidence and international recommendations presented in the Population Report. We hope this tool will make counselling on breastfeeding easier. It is meant to complement existing reference guides and training materials on breastfeeding."

Click here to order this report, free in any quantity to developing countries. US$2.00 each for developed countries.

It is a companion tool linked to the “Better Breastfeeding, Healthier Lives” Population Report.