Hello LactNetters.  We've been having a "terminology discussion" on
parent-l, and I looked up the official WHO definitions for them, and thought
I would pass it along.  It came up in the context of whether or not the term
"exclusive" breastfeeding meant no solids at all, or no formula at all but
solids implied.  Does that make any sense?  In other words, if someone says
their one year old is "exclusively breastfed" does that mean the child gets
nothing else or does it mean that the child gets no formula but does eat
food.  According to WHO definitions, it's supposed to mean the former
(nothing else).

I know I've been promising this for days -- finally got to my office today,
so here's what I promised:

"In 1988, the Interagency Group for Action on Breastfeeding (IGAB), composed
of the United States Agency for International Development (A.I.D.), the
Swedish International Development Agency, the World Health Organization
(WHO), and UNICEF, proposed standard terminology for the collection and
description of data on breastfeeding behavior.  Categories of . . . . were
adopted.  However, in 1991, the WHO proposed modifications to these
definitions, and it is widely assumed that the new terminology will
supersede the IGAB categories."


WHO breastfeeding terminology:


EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING
        Requires that the infant receive breast milk (including milk
expressed or from wet nurse)
        Allows the infant to receive drops, syrups (vitamins, minerals,
medicines)
        Does not allow the infant to receive anything else


PREDOMINANT BREASTFEEDING
        Requires that the infant receive breast milk (including milk
expressed or from wet nurse) as the predominant source of nourishment
        Allows the infant to receive liquids (water, and water-based drinks,
fruit, juice, oral rehydration solution), ritual fluids and drops or syrups
(vitamins, minerals, medicines)
        Does not allow the infant to receive anything else (in particular
non-human milk, food-based fluids)


COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING
        Requires that the infant receive breast milk and solid or semi-solid
foods
        Allows the infant to receive any food or liquid including non-human milk


BREASTFEEDING
        Requires that the infant receive breast milk
        Allows the infant to receive any food or liquid including non-human milk


BOTTLE-FEEDING
        Requires that the infant receive any liquid or semi-solid food from
a bottle with nipple/teat
        Allow the infant to receive breast milk by bottle


Exclusive and predominant breastfeeding categories together constitue "full
breastfeeding."

Fuller discussion of terminological issues, and references to the original
IGAB and WHO discussions can be found in "Infant Feeding Practices and
Growth" by Katherine A. Dettwyler and Claudia Fishman, Annual Review of
Anthropology, 1992, volume 21, pages 171-204.

Hope this helps clarify the situation.
Kathy Dettwyler
e-mail to [log in to unmask]
Queen of Cinnamon Buns today