Statistics show most US women desire to breastfeed. For US women who gave birth in 2017, 84.1% initiated breastfeeding. Yet, at 6 months only 58.3% were breastfeeding and only 25.6% were exclusively breastfeeding. This is a public health, and community, concern.

As a CBC, it is important to have a mindset that no mother or baby can fail at breastfeeding. We cannot best serve our clients or the community if we feel women can fail at feeding.

That said, mothers can be failed. If a mother has a breastfeeding goal and she does not reach her personal goal, she has often been failed by the community. This could be lack of access to lactation support, a need to return to work early, predatory marketing, or many other factors.

As a CBC, understanding the importance of community can help you support your clients. It can also help you work towards creating lactation friendly community in your area.

Breastfeeding Education is Key

One of the biggest factors in reaching breastfeeding goals is adequate breastfeeding information. Good prenatal breastfeeding education and ongoing evidenced based information is key.

Many new parents are flooded with myths, outdated information, and conflicting breastfeeding advice. They are also likely to face predatory marketing, or half-truths from formula companies seeking new customers. An example of predatory marketing: formula marketed for supplementing. There is no need for specific formulas, but it sends the message it is a need.

Providing adequate prenatal education about breastfeeding can help parents navigate myths and outdated information.

Knowing what to expect during the early days and how to tell if baby is getting enough is key.

Supportive Partners, Family Members

Statistics show most US women desire to breastfeed. For US women who gave birth in 2017, 84.1% initiated breastfeeding. Yet, at 6 months only 58.3% were breastfeeding and only 25.6% were exclusively breastfeeding. This is a public health, and community, concern.

As a CBC, it is important to have a mindset that no mother or baby can fail at breastfeeding. We cannot best serve our clients or the community if we feel women can fail at feeding.

That said, mothers can be failed. If a mother has a breastfeeding goal and she does not reach her personal goal, she has often been failed by the community. This could be lack of access to lactation support, a need to return to work early, predatory marketing, or many other factors.

As a CBC, understanding the importance of community can help you support your clients. It can also help you work towards creating lactation friendly community in your area.

Breastfeeding Education is Key

One of the biggest factors in reaching breastfeeding goals is adequate breastfeeding information. Good prenatal breastfeeding education and ongoing evidenced based information is key.

Many new parents are flooded with myths, outdated information, and conflicting breastfeeding advice. They are also likely to face predatory marketing, or half-truths from formula companies seeking new customers. An example of predatory marketing: formula marketed for supplementing. There is no need for specific formulas, but it sends the message it is a need.

Providing adequate prenatal education about breastfeeding can help parents navigate myths and outdated information.

Knowing what to expect during the early days and how to tell if baby is getting enough is key.

Supportive Partners, Family Members and Friends

A supportive partner is one of the most important factors in breastfeeding. Why? Having a supportive partner means they understand the time and sacrifice it can take to reach breastfeeding goals. When a partner is supportive, they are encouraging, manage and support around the home, and are less likely to pressure to supplement or wean unnecessarily.

Supportive family members are friends can make visits feeding friendly. Rather than pressuring the new mother to stretch time between feeds, or holding the fussing baby away from her, they encourage mom to feed on demand. They also respect her space and need to feed in front of them, or to step away if she desires.

Peer Support is Invaluable

There is nothing quite like hearing, “I get it!” from someone who truly does. Having peer support while breastfeeding is huge in helping parents reach their breastfeeding goals.

Peer support not only aids in breastfeeding education, it provides an understanding ear and reassurance about typical breastfeeding challenges. Even the best breastfeeding journey has difficulties.

Supportive Employers

Many breastfeeding parents return to work long before they desire to wean. Having a supportive employer makes expressing milk, storing, etc., more manageable.

There are laws in place in the US and other places. However, if there is not real support, it can negatively impact breastfeeding duration.

As a CBC, you can help educate clients about their rights in the workplace. You can also take part in community education, so employers are aware of the importance of being supportive.

Breastfeeding Knowledgeable Healthcare Providers Are a Must

Breastfeeding support starts long before baby arrives. A good midwife or doctor who follows evidenced based care will begin with basic prenatal education about feeding. Providers who display ads or give out samples for formula companies can negatively impact breastfeeding rates.

Immediately following birth, uninterrupted skin-to-skin is an important first step in supporting breastfeeding. For mother baby pairs facing medically necessary separation, early support for expressing milk is vital.

Hospitals, birthing centers, and home birth providers should know breastfeeding basics and who to refer to in case of difficulty. Evidenced based support to address early feeding difficulty versus just supplementing is an important aspect of proper care.

The baby’s primary physician needs to be knowledgeable about typical newborn and older infant feeding. From using the World Health Organization (WHO) growth chart to discouraging strict feeding schedules, they can help support breastfeeding goals.

As a CBC, you can help your clients learn about important factors in choosing a primary doctor. Help your clients build their community, and help your community learn about breastfeeding.

Friends

A supportive partner is one of the most important factors in breastfeeding. Why? Having a supportive partner means they understand the time and sacrifice it can take to reach breastfeeding goals. When a partner is supportive, they are encouraging, manage and support around the home, and are less likely to pressure to supplement or wean unnecessarily.

Supportive family members are friends can make visits feeding friendly. Rather than pressuring the new mother to stretch time between feeds, or holding the fussing baby away from her, they encourage mom to feed on demand. They also respect her space and need to feed in front of them, or to step away if she desires.

Peer Support is Invaluable

There is nothing quite like hearing, “I get it!” from someone who truly does. Having peer support while breastfeeding is huge in helping parents reach their breastfeeding goals.

Peer support not only aids in breastfeeding education, it provides an understanding ear and reassurance about typical breastfeeding challenges. Even the best breastfeeding journey has difficulties.

Supportive Employers

Many breastfeeding parents return to work long before they desire to wean. Having a supportive employer makes expressing milk, storing, etc., more manageable.

There are laws in place in the US and other places. However, if there is not real support, it can negatively impact breastfeeding duration.

As a CBC, you can help educate clients about their rights in the workplace. You can also take part in community education, so employers are aware of the importance of being supportive.

Breastfeeding Knowledgeable Healthcare Providers Are a Must

Breastfeeding support starts long before baby arrives. A good midwife or doctor who follows evidenced based care will begin with basic prenatal education about feeding. Providers who display ads or give out samples for formula companies can negatively impact breastfeeding rates.

Immediately following birth, uninterrupted skin-to-skin is an important first step in supporting breastfeeding. For mother baby pairs facing medically necessary separation, early support for expressing milk is vital.

Hospitals, birthing centers, and home birth providers should know breastfeeding basics and who to refer to in case of difficulty. Evidenced based support to address early feeding difficulty versus just supplementing is an important aspect of proper care.

The baby’s primary physician needs to be knowledgeable about typical newborn and older infant feeding. From using the World Health Organization (WHO) growth chart to discouraging strict feeding schedules, they can help support breastfeeding goals.

As a CBC, you can help your clients learn about important factors in choosing a primary doctor. Help your clients build their community, and help your community learn about breastfeeding.