This is in response to Pamela's question about the Baby-Friendly Hospitals
 Initiative (BFHI) and progress made by other countries with that program.

 In the Federated States of Micronesia,  we are working hard to have
 Kosrae State Hospital receive BFHI status, this will the be first for this

 country.  Last May was the Internal Assessment, and this May we
 will have the External Assessment.

 There are 4 island states in this country with a hospital on each of the
 main islands.  Two other states Chuuk and Pohnpei are also working towards
 this goal.  For the non-industrialized Pacific, few countries have BFHI
 status:  Fiji has two and Papua New Guinea has four.

 For those interested, there is a very informative book put out annually by
 UNICEF New York, in which the BFHI status of countries throughout the
world
 are reported, that is the  Progress Report BFHI.  The 1997 Progress Report
 is available, and the 1998 should be out at some time soon.  Working with
 the BFHI is exciting, health workers here very much appreciate it.

 An interesting comment, perhaps quite meaningful to Lactnet members,
 was shared to me by the doctor here in Pohnpei in charge of the Obstetrics
 Ward.  He was explaining how no bottles are allowed on the ward, and how
 this was introduced some years ago with the BFHI program. Then he said
that
 the local mothers accept this, but it is the expatriate mothers who are
not
 happy with the regulation!! ....Still, the rule is kept, there is no
bottle
 to be seen in the ward!!!

 We were also discussing a breastfeeding promotional video to make for
 Pohnpei, and he said "Be sure to put some expatriate mothers on there!!
 Women from Pohnpei are copying the westerners,  so just show them that
 westerners breastfeed too!"  ....so there it is, the challenge, get the
 industrialized world back to breastfeeding, the rest of the world will
 follow!!...Fortunately here in this country as many other
 non-industrialized countries, breastfeeding is still the norm, it is only
 the struggle to keep it so.

  Lois Englberger, MNS, Federated States of Micronesia