Healthcare Providers and Breastfeeding

Experiences in the first hours and days after birth impact whether a mother starts and continues to breastfeed her infant.

Physicians and health professionals can:

  • Counsel mothers on breastfeeding, skin to skin and rooming in during prenatal visits
  • Refer mothers to a lactation consultant
  • Support skin to skin contact
  • Promote rooming-in
  • Support breastfeeding exclusively for six months in the hospital and at well-baby visits
  • Implement 6 for ME - 6 evidence based hospital practices to improve breastfeeding
  • Help write policies that support mothers and babies to breastfeed

Breastfeeding in fb88; A Data Brief for Healthcare Professionals

According to the U.S. CDC, breastmilk is the optimal food for growth and development of infants. Breastfeeding is also an effective approach to reducing lifelong risk for chronic disease.[1] Studies show only 40 percent of mothers meet their exclusive breastfeeding goals.[2]

Healthcare Breastfeeding Resources

Data

General Breastfeeding Resources

  • American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Breastfeeding List of Educational Courses and Materials
  • A series of five minute videos that provide an overview of each of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.

Free Breastfeeding Management Self Study Guides

  • This 1.5 hour tutorial in combination with the 1.5 hour tutorial below provide 3 hours of breastfeeding education that is aligned with the content expected for physicians providing care in facilities implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding or are designated as Baby-Friendly facilities. Continuing Medical Education (CME) Online Tutorial (CME #1) 1.5 CME. Available at no cost.
  • This 1.5 hour tutorial in combination with the 1.5 hour tutorial below provide 3 hours of breastfeeding education that is aligned with the content expected for physicians providing care in facilities implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding or are designated as Baby-Friendly facilities. Continuing Medical Education (CME) Online Tutorial (CME #1) 1.5 CME. Available at no cost.
  • This series provides free CMEs free of charge until June 2019. The Maryland Hospital Breastfeeding Policy Committee coordinated a six-lecture series of free webinars about breastfeeding-related topics. Each of these educational opportunities features a different topic and is provided by expert physicians in the field. Training sessions are aligned with the content expected for physicians providing care in facilities implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding or are designated as Baby-Friendly facilities. Available at no cost.
  • Wellstart International (2013) , Level 1, Fourth Edition, Shelburne, Vermont: Wellstart International. Available at no cost.
  • Available at no cost.

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strategies to Prevent Obesity and other Chronic Diseases: The CDC Guide to Strategies to Support Breastfeeding Mothers and Babies. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2013, page 3. Available at: Accessed 12.11.15

[2] Perrine et al. Baby-Friendly Hospital Practices and Meeting Exclusive Breastfeeding Intention. PEDIATRICS 2012;130(1).