Over the last couple of decades, advocacy for a return to breastfeeding has been growing and, with it, resources to inform and assist mothers, physicians, hospitals, workplaces and others.
The Surgeon General The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding calls upon all sectors to remove the obstacles faced by women who want to breastfeed their babies. Mothers, she says, “shouldn’t have to go it alone.”
Office of Women’s Health The breastfeeding page of the Office of Women’s Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is a governmental project rich with tips and suggestions to help women successfully breastfeed.
Breastfeed LA Breastfeed LA is dedicated to improving the health and well being of infants and families through education, outreach and advocacy to promote and support breastfeeding. Its website contains a vast library of resources as well as information about upcoming local seminars and trainings; and federal, state and local breastfeeding laws.
Federal and State Lactation Accommodation Policies The Office of Women’s Health website also provides a tool kit, The Business Case for Breastfeeding, to help employers implement worksite lactation accommodation policies in compliance with Federal and California law.
American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics created a special webpage to provide breastfeeding information for parents, professionals and advocates. Click on “Ages and Stages.”
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ACOG’s Committee on Health Care and Underserved Women states: “Underserved women are disproportionately likely to experience adverse health outcomes that may improve with breastfeeding” and calls for a multi-disciplinary approach to support women to breastfeed in its 2013 Committee Opinion.
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Launched in 1991, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is an effort by UNICEF and the World Health Organization to ensure that all maternity centers and birthing hospitals become centers of breastfeeding support.
Baby-Friendly USA The authority for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in the United States is Baby-Friendly USA, the organization that also designates hospitals as “baby-friendly” upon their successful implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding for Hospitals.
La Leche League International In 1956, when US breastfeeding rates were at their lowest, a group of seven breastfeeding mothers came together for mutual support. Today La Leche League International offers mother-to-mother support groups across the globe and a website that is encyclopedic in the wealth of information made available to mothers and professionals alike.
Soul Food for Your Baby Soul Food for Your Baby is a community program that reaches out to African American women to empower them to breastfeed.