Listed below are information and references to address breastfeeding in a variety of settings. Breastfeeding is one of the most important contributors to infant health. Breastfeeding provides a range of benefits for the infant's growth, immunity, and development. In addition, breastfeeding improves maternal health and contributes economic benefits to the family, health care system, and workplace.
Despite the many benefits of breastfeeding, the rates of breastfeeding in the United States are low, especially at 6 months postpartum. Creating a breastfeeding friendly environment in many settings will influence breastfeeding rates.
For additional general information about breastfeeding, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website [1].
Resources
Assessment tools and strategies
- The Business Case for Breastfeeding. Steps for Creating a Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite: Bottom Line Benefits, Lactation Program Assessment Form (HRSA) [2]
- Ten Steps to Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care Centers Resource Kit, P-00022 [3] (Multiple languages)
- CDC Success Story: Wood County, Wisconsin, Childcare Providers Remove Breastfeeding Barriers [4]
- Breastfeeding in Wisconsin: How Hospital Actions Can Affect Breastfeeding [5]
Materials for implementation
- Wisconsin Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care Initiative [6].
- USDA and WIC have compiled a list of resources to support nursing mothers in the workplace [7]. This site contains information on the federal "Break Time for Nursing Mothers" provision, resources for both employers and employees, and suggestions for how to develop workplace lactation support programs.
- The United States Breastfeeding Committee has created an online guide: What You Need to Know About the "Break Time for Nursing Mothers" Law [8]. The guide compiles resources in an easy to understand format to ensure mothers and employers have the information they need to make working and breastfeeding a success.
- Fathers Supporting Breastfeeding [9]
- Breastfeeding Education Cards [10]
- Ten Steps to Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care Centers Resource Kit, P-00022 [11] (Multiple languages)