All women should be offered support to breastfeed their babies to
increase the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding. Healthcare
settings should provide such trained support as standard. Support
is likely to be more effective in settings with high initiation rates,
so efforts to increase the uptake of breastfeeding should be in
place. Support may be offered either by professional or lay/peer
supporters, or a combination of both. Strategies that rely mainly
on face-to-face support are more likely to succeed. Support that
is only offered when women seek help is unlikely to be effective;
women should be offered ongoing visits on a scheduled basis so
they can predict that support will be available. Support should be
tailored to the setting and the needs of the population group.