Maternal & Child Nutrition
Mother’s Absolute Affection (MAA) / Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI)
Breastfeeding is one of the most effective child survival interventions. Recognizing its critical role in reducing neonatal and infant mortality, Tamil Nadu has been implementing the Mother’s Absolute Affection (MAA) programme since August 2016 to strengthen Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices.
The initiative focuses on promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding through health systems, community engagement and capacity building interventions across the State.
20%
Newborn Deaths Preventable Through Early Breastfeeding
Goal of the Programme
The goal of the MAA Programme is to revitalize efforts towards the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding and young child feeding practices through health systems in order to achieve optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) and improve child nutrition outcomes.
Programme Objectives
Create Awareness
Generate awareness among pregnant women, lactating mothers, family members and communities to create an enabling environment for breastfeeding.Strengthen Lactation Support
Enhance facility-based and community-based lactation support services through trained healthcare workers.Recognize Excellence
Promote and incentivize health facilities that demonstrate effective breastfeeding support practices.Implementing Units
24
DME Hospitals
309
DMS Hospitals
2270
Primary Health Centres
Components of the MAA Programme
Macro Level
Mass Media Awareness Campaigns
Meso Level
Implementation Across Health Facilities
Micro Level
Community-Based Breastfeeding Promotion
Capacity Building Initiatives
ASHA Sensitization
- One-day sensitization programme
- Breastfeeding counselling skills
- Complementary feeding practices
VHN / ANM Training
- One-day MAA sensitization module
- Four-day IYCF training module
- IYCF counselling flipcharts provided
Facility Staff Training
- Training for ANMs, Nurses and Doctors
- Lactation support services orientation
- Four-day IYCF training package
IMS Act Orientation
- Awareness on IMS Act provisions
- Facility-level compliance training
- Community-level worker orientation
MAA Award & Recognition
Health facilities demonstrating excellence in breastfeeding promotion and lactation support are recognized through the prestigious “MAA – Mother’s Absolute Affection Award”.
₹10,000
Team Cash Award for Certified FacilitiesBFHI Assessment
Evaluation Based on Ten Steps of BFHIIMS Compliance
Mandatory Adherence to IMS Act GuidelinesExternal Assessment
Independent Evaluation by Trained Assessors
Assessment includes interactions with administrators, healthcare providers, mothers and families. Facilities are provided opportunities to address identified gaps and undergo reassessment before certification.
Monitoring & Evaluation
Key performance indicators prescribed under MAA guidelines are regularly monitored to evaluate breastfeeding outcomes, service quality and programme effectiveness across healthcare facilities.