Breastfeeding News

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Hear Her Campaign

Every year, over 700 women die from problems related to pregnancy or delivery complications, which can occur up to a year after pregnancy. Two in three of these deaths are preventable. American Indian, Alaska Native, and Black women are two to three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women. The Hear Her campaign was created to support the CDC’s efforts to prevent pregnancy-related deaths. Materials are available in both English and Spanish.

Follow this link to learn more. https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/

Updated March 2021

Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) Statement: Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination in Lactation

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine published a public statement titled "Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination in Lactation." The statement highlights information about two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, urges vaccine manufacturers to include data for lactating individuals and their children in periodic safety reports, and recommends that future research studies routinely include pregnant and lactating participants.

Follow this link to learn more: https://abm.memberclicks.net/abm-statement-considerations-for-covid-19-vaccination-in-lactation

Updated March 2021

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Practice Advisory: Vaccinating Pregnant and Lactating Patients Against COVID-19

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released a Practice Advisory titled "Vaccinating Pregnant and Lactating Patients Against COVID-19." The Practice Advisory is intended to be an overview of currently available COVID-19 vaccines and guidance for their use in pregnant and lactating patients.

Follow this link to learn more: https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-advisory/articles/2020/12/vaccinating-pregnant-and-lactating-patients-against-covid-19

Updated March 2021

Infant Risk Center: COVID-19 Vaccine in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Infant Risk Center published a webpage titled "COVID-19 Vaccine in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding." The webpage compiles information and recommendations on COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

https://www.infantrisk.com/covid-19-vaccine-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding

Updated March 2021

Updated Guide for Breastfeeding Families, summarized from OWH

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health published an updated version of the "Your Guide to Breastfeeding" resource. The guide raises awareness of the importance of breastfeeding to help mothers give their babies the best start possible in life. The resource includes information for breastfeeding parents on how to breastfeed, where to find breastfeeding support, common questions, and more.

Updated November 2020

Position Paper on Safe Infant Sleep, summarized from ICEA

The International Childbirth Education Association published a position paper on safe infant sleep. The paper includes discussion on safety issues, understanding normal sleep and breastfeeding, and a list of sources for evidence-based information on safe sleep.

Updated November 2020

Breastfeeding Support Icons Now Available

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee added a series of free downloadable icons, available in color and black and white, to the "Landscape of Breastfeeding Support" image gallery. The gallery also includes seven existing photo collections featuring more than 10,000 images that illustrate the types of support all breastfeeding families need and deserve. Images play an important role in normalizing breastfeeding and in reducing the societal and cultural barriers faced by breastfeeding families and can promote positive and fair portrayals of breastfeeding support in action. Upon agreeing to the Terms of Use, individuals may download any of the images.

Updated November 2020

Worksite Health Scorecard Updated, summarized from CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a revised and updated "CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard." The tool is designed to help employers assess the extent to which they have implemented evidence-based health promotion interventions in their worksites. The Maternal Health and Lactation Support module includes questions on lactation accommodations in the workplace, paid leave, and other breastfeeding support.

Updated November 2020

Report on Nutrient Content of Human Milk, summarized from NASEM

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published a report titled "Scanning for New Evidence on the Nutrient Content of Human Milk: A Model for the Derivation of Age-Specific Nutrient Requirements." The publication reports on a literature search and evidence scan of new and emerging peer-reviewed published literature on the nutrient content and volume of human milk as an indicator of infant nutritional requirements.

Updated November 2020

Article on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 and Pregnancy, summarized from IJBO

The International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics published a brief communication titled "Racial and ethnic disparities in severity of COVID‐19 disease in pregnancy in the United States." The publication describes a study reviewing the cases of women at an academic hospital‐based obstetrics practice diagnosed with COVID‐19 during pregnancy or within 8 weeks postpartum. The authors found that the majority of these patients belonged to racial or ethnic minority groups and concluded that this preliminary data set underscores the importance of collecting and reporting data based on race and ethnicity to better understand the impact of the pandemic.

Updated November 2020

2020 Breastfeeding Grand Rounds Airing Date Confirmed

The 2020 Breastfeeding Grand Rounds, Community Breastfeeding Support During Public Health Emergencies, will air on December 22nd, 2020 from 8:30 am to 10:30 am. Breastfeeding Grand Rounds is a collaborative partnership between the New York State WIC Program and the School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York. It is a free webcast that airs during World Breastfeeding Week each year and offers continuing education credits for dietitians, nurses, physicians, IBCLCs, WIC staff, and others.

Updated November 2020

New York Statewide Breastfeeding Coalition Annual Education Conference

Tentatively rescheduled to March 23rd, 2021 per the Eventbrite event.

The 6th Annual Education Conference titled, “Widening the Lens to Improve Lactation Outcomes for All” is currently postponed until further notice. For more information, click the Eventbrite event link.

U.S. Breastfeeding Committee New On-Demand Webinar Series Announced "National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening - Reimagined"

Join the USBC for the launch of our new on-demand webinar series titled "National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening Reimagined." NBCC Reimagined is a robust series of webcast sessions to be released each Monday during National Breastfeeding Month (and beyond!). Although this year's in-person event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this series will showcase many of the outstanding presentations that had already been selected by the 2020 NBCC Conference Program Committee. The presentations will be offered on-demand and free of charge. The USBC is applying for continuing education (status pending).Learn more about each set of sessions.

Added September, 2020

State Reports on Maternity Care Practices that Support Breastfeeding, summarized from CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) State Reports. The CDC's national mPINC survey monitors infant feeding care practices and policies among all hospitals providing maternity care in the United States and territories. All hospitals with maternity services are invited to participate in CDC's mPINC survey. In 2018, 70% of all facilities chose to participate. State reports summarize the strength of breastfeeding support in hospitals in each state and territory, as well as the areas that could be improved. These reports identify opportunities for states to better protect, promote, and support breastfeeding mothers and infants. The mPINC survey was redesigned in 2018. Results from the 2018 mPINC survey cannot be compared with results from previous mPINC surveys. New York State scored 82, compared to a national score of 79.

Added September, 2020

Report on Birth Settings and Health Outcomes, summarized from NASEM

The National Academies for Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report titled " Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice." The report reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings. Breastfeeding initiation and exclusive breastfeeding rates were included among the performance measures. NASEM has also published report highlights and an infographic depicting key findings from the report.

Added September, 2020

Podcast on Collaboration during COVID-19, summarized from Collective Impact Forum

The Collective Impact Forum released a podcast episode titled "Collaborating during COVID-19. The podcast features discussion on how the collaborative work of Collective Impact Forum members is being affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion topics included supporting exhausted community partners, figuring out how to build engagement around a new initiative during the pandemic, and how to keep long-term goals while meeting immediate program needs.

Added September, 2020

Congratulations 2020 Loving Support Gold Award Winner: Local Agency 285 Wycoff Hospital WIC Program

Breastfeeding Coordinator Eileen Buckner, has had a leadership role in providing breastfeeding education and support for more than 25 years at the Wyckoff Hospital WIC Program.
She meets regularly with the LAs 2 peer counselors (PCs) and routinely uses Loving Support materials to train new PCs, and to provide in-service sessions to all of the Wyckoff Hosp WIC Program nutrition staff members.
Along with WIC Director Lydia Mutdhastira, Designated Breastfeeding expert Agata Socho-Lackranam and PCs Adelaida Tapia and Yolanda Ramates Guerrero, the BF team has had success with, assisting all sorts of breastfeeding dyads.
One notable success involved a mother of triplets who was encouraged to breastfeed, and continued to do so for many months with support from the Wyckoff WIC breastfeeding team
Now that the Wyckoff Hospital has achieved Baby Friendly status, the Wyckoff Hospital WIC Program

Wycoff Hospital WIC looks forward to attracting and working with many more WIC eligible families!

Local Agency 285 Wycoff Hospital

Added September 2020

Special Section on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

As communities around the nation respond to the global Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the USBC has continued to serve as a communication hub for the breastfeeding field. View the updated "Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies" webpage for key resources on COVID-19 and infant feeding. See the Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire archive for previous compilations of COVID-19 resources and updates.

Additionally, the New York State Department of Health website continues to be an updated and accurate source of information and resources during the pandemic.

United States Breastfeeding Committee 2019 Annual Report Released

This magazine-style digital annual report presents USBC's accomplishments and activities from 2019. It was a busy year with many highlights, including welcoming the largest and most diverse cohort of new USBC member organizations, securing $9 million in funding for the CDC's Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program, and passage of the Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act. In addition to providing key insights and data from our work together in 2019, the report looks ahead at the vital work before us as we face this global pandemic. Download the report to learn more!

Healthy Children Project, Inc., Center for Breastfeeding

Due to the developing public health concerns presented by COVID-19, Healthy Children Project Inc., has converted the lactation counselor training into an online platform. Consisting of videos, self-check questions and competency verifications, this 52-hour online course (same time requirement as the face-to-face training) may be completed all at once or progress may be saved and continued.

Visit the Center for Breastfeeding website to find out more about the online conversion.

Visit the WICTC website for information on when this course may be offered.

Collective Impact Webinar Series

The United States Breastfeeding Committee is hosting a series of bi-monthly webinars as part of its efforts to "engage stakeholders in a Collective Impact model" (USBC Strategic Framework Goal 3). With funding support from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, this series will focus on building the capacity of the breastfeeding field to apply collective impact principles and tools to collaborative efforts for policy and practice change. Webinars are held every two months (in even numbered months) on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET.

For more details and to view previously recorded webinars please visit: www.usbreastfeeding.org/equity

Envisioning a Breastfeeding-Friendly System

The United States Breastfeeding Committee hosts this series of bi-monthly webinars as part of its efforts to "create and model a culture of inclusion, diversity & equity" (USBC Strategic Framework Goal 4). With funding support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, this series will focus on building the capacity of the breastfeeding field to apply both an "equity lens" to inform and guide our external strategies and activities, but also an "equity mirror" to examine our internal structures, culture, and policies. Webinars are held every two months (in odd-numbered months) on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET. Register for the webinar series.

For more details and to view previously recorded webinars please visit: www.usbreastfeeding.org/equity

Free Breastfeeding and Pumping Images Available

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in partnership with the Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition, have published a group of royalty-free photos of breastfeeding and pumping in everyday settings. The photos are available through the CDC's State and Community Health Media Center at no cost to nonprofit organizations and government agencies. To access these photos, select "Nutrition: Breastfeeding" in the "Topics" dropdown menu while searching.

Break Time for Nursing Mothers

NYS law protects nursing mothers in the workplace. If or when mothers are not being given reasonable unpaid time to pump there are resources available to support them. Information on how to file a complaint through the Wage and Hour Division at the US Dept of Labor is included at the following link for those in need/interested https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/nursing-mothers. The link includes information on general guidance, applicable laws and additional resources.

Breastfeeding Grand Rounds 2019

The 2019 BFGR live webcast will discuss the prevalence of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) among pregnant women and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in infants. Health professionals, women, and their families should understand that breastfeeding can play a key role in the treatment of NAS by decreasing its duration and severity. This webcast will provide resources for identifying pregnant, breastfeeding, and post-partum women with OUD, strategies and tools for discussing it with them, and approaches to refer them to the most appropriate options for support and follow up.

Click here to view the archived webinar recording and obtain credits.

Spanish Breastfeeding Support Materials Available

As part of the WIC Breastfeeding Support Learn Together, Grow Together campaign, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has released materials in Spanish! Staff and partners can visit the campaign website for access to handouts in Spanish. Please download, print and share with moms to help them meet their breastfeeding goals.

The 2017 NYS WIC PedNSS statewide data was recently released and reflects the following key breastfeeding findings:

The breastfeeding initiation rate continued to increase from 84.8 percent in 2016 to 85.3 percent in 2017, with increases across all racial/ethnic groups except for Whites, whose rates remained the same (Table 19C). Asians and American Indian/Alaskan Natives had the largest increase (2.8 and 1.2 percentage points, respectively). Whites (with the initiation rate at 80.1%) was the only racial/ethnic group that did not reached the HP2020 breastfeeding initiation goal of 81.9% in 2017.
There were slight improvements in breastfeeding duration indicators in the 2017 PedNSS report compared to those in the 2016 report (Table 3C). In particular, 55.7 percent (vs. 55.3%), 42.0 percent (vs. 41.4%), and 25.1 percent (vs. 24.2%) of infants in the 2017 (vs. 2016) cohort were breastfed for ≥3, ≥6, and ≥12 months, respectively. The NYS WIC program continued to make progress toward meeting the HP2020 objectives for breastfeeding ≥6 months (60.6%) and ≥12 months (34.1%).
In 2017, the overall prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at ≥3 months and at ≥6 months remained steady compared to 2016 (15.3% vs. 15.1%, and 9.2% vs. 9.2%, respectively) (Table 3C)

Archived News

Global Big Latch On 2019

Thank you to all who participated in The Global Big Latch On. Results from the Global Big Latch On 2019:

18,576 children were breastfeeding at the one minute count
19,414 breastfeeding people attended
58,003 people attended registered Global Big Latch On locations to support breastfeeding

For additional information visit the Big Latch On website.

Archived November 2020

NYS WIC Announces the 2019 USDA Loving Support Award of Excellence Winners!

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Capital NY Region

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Central NY Region

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Metropolitan NY Region

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Western NY Region

Each year the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS),

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) announces the Loving Support Award of Excellence program. The award program was established to recognize local WIC agencies that have provided exemplary breastfeeding promotion and support activities. The intent is to provide models and motivate other local agencies to strengthen their breastfeeding promotion and support activities and ultimately increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates among WIC participants. The award is given at three levels of performance that build on one another: Gold, Premiere, and Elite.

This year, FNS awarded a total of 100 WIC local agencies with awards, 84 Gold and 16 Gold Premiere. We are proud to announce that New York State received 7 Gold awards. The New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) would like to applaud our winners for their achievement and dedication to breastfeeding promotion and support year-round. This year’s winners are as follows:

2019 Gold Awardees:

LA #221 Broome County Health Department WIC
LA #203 Commission on Economic Opportunity WIC
LA #235 Chemung Schuyler WIC
LA #207 Delaware Opportunities Inc.
LA #318 Montefiore New Rochelle WIC Program
LA #264 Morrisania WIC Program
LA #294 Opportunity Development Association WIC Williamsburg

The 2020 application period opens, October 7th and closes on December 13th. All WIC local agencies are encouraged to apply for their own Loving Support Award of Excellence. Details about the application process and FAQs can be found here: Loving Support Award of Excellence Program.

Archived November 2020

New USDA FNS Breastfeeding Campaign

USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has launched a new breastfeeding campaign called, “WIC Breastfeeding Support – Learn Together. Grow Together.” The new campaign was created to help encourage WIC moms to breastfeed their babies and to provide them with the support needed to succeed.

Pregnancy and post-pregnancy come with a lot of questions and worry. In visiting the website, new mothers and expectant mothers will find information on many of their questions – with topics ranging from the benefits of breastfeeding, breastfeeding supplies, baby hunger cues, to delivery room 101, various feeding holds, and even information on the phases of breast milk.

WIC local agencies will also find materials to share with participants; such as posters, educational materials and videos. Resources tailored to dads, grandparents and to the support network of infant caregivers are also available.

For more information on the WIC Breastfeeding Support campaign, please visit https://wicbreastfeeding.fns.usda.gov/

Breastfeeding Offers Protection Against Diabetes

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found increased breastfeeding duration reduces the incidence of diabetes. This 30-year study found a 25% to 47% reduction of the incidence of diabetes in women who breastfed. With several studies through the years looking at the effect lactation has on diabetes this study looked at pre-pregnancy biochemical measures, clinical and demographic risk factors, lifestyle behaviors, weight gain and gestational diabetes risk, which previous studies have not. Simply stated, the longer a woman breastfeeds the more protection is offered to her against diabetes.

View the complete study here:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2668634?redirect=true

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Adds Information About WIC To Their Website

It is important for physicians to be aware of all WIC offers and now obstetricians can learn more about WIC by viewing information from ACOG’s website. Click here to view their page: https://www.acog.org/-/media/project/acog/acogorg/files/pdfs/publications/breastfeedingtoolkit2020.pdf

If you were not able to attend NWA’s 2018 Nutrition Education & Breastfeeding Promotion Conference held in New Orleans, videos recordings are now available to all NWA members online.

To access them, go to https://www.nwica.org/ log into your account, click on My Account next to your name on the upper left corner of the site, and on your dashboard, click on Go To the Online Community button on the far-right side. A new window will pop up. Click on Resource Center on the vertical menu on the left side of the window. Find the folder “2018 Nutrition Breastfeeding Conference Sessions” within the Resource Center which will bring you to the links to all the sessions.

Breastfeeding Programs and Policies, Breastfeeding Uptake, and Maternal Health Outcomes in Developed Countries
(Systematic Review, released on July 18, 2018)

The objective of this review was “to summarize the effectiveness of community, workplace, and health care system–based programs and policies aimed at supporting and promoting breastfeeding, and to determine the association between breastfeeding and maternal health”.

One of the key messages was: “For women enrolled in the WIC Program, peer-support interventions offered by WIC agencies may improve rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration.

New Jersey Supports Breastfeeding with Workplace Lactation Law

The Affordable Care Act requires employers to provide reasonable break time as well as a clean place for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year. New Jersey joined 27 other states, including New York, who have additional laws to protect breastfeeding mothers in the workplace. Governor Christie signed legislation amending laws to prohibit employers from firing or discriminating against workers who may need time to express milk during the work day. The employer must provide reasonable break time and a suitable private place to express milk.

For information about the Federal workplace law: http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/workplace-law
For information about the NYS law: https://www.labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/nursing-mothers.shtm
View the NYS Making it Work tool kit: http://www.breastfeedingpartners.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=164&Itemid=411

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Adds Information About WIC To Their Website

An infographic from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that highlights the benefits of breastfeeding can be found here:

https://www.acog.org/-/media/Departments/Toolkits-for-Health-Care-Providers/images/BreastfeedingBenefits.ashx

World Breastfeeding Week 2018

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Black Breastfeeding Week

For several years, the month of August has been dedicated to highlighting awareness of breastfeeding challenges and benefits throughout the first week; featured as “National Breastfeeding Week”. This event is dedicated to the celebration and promotion of breastfeeding. The last week of August has been dedicated to promoting awareness of solutions to minimize the challenges and barriers faced within the black community through “Black Breastfeeding Week”.

Breastfeeding on the Subway in New York City
The Breastfeeding Subway Caravan is an annual event, sponsored by the New York City Breastfeeding Leadership Council, held to support and promote a woman’s right to breastfeed in public. Below are some highlights from this year’s event.

Attendees met on the steps of City Hall for a kick off the event featuring various speakers and elected officials from city, state, and federal levels. One such attendee was Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams who accepted an award for being a “Breastfeeding Champion” in his community and spoke on the importance of breastfeeding and a woman’s right to breastfeed. After the kickoff attendees took the A Train to Restoration Plaza in Bedford Stuyvesant, nursing their babies and chanting positive breastfeeding messages along the way. At Restoration Plaza a breastfeeding fair was held sponsored by the Brooklyn Alliance for Breastfeeding Empowerment (BABE). The fair featured food, live entertainment, informational handouts, and giveaways of items to promote literacy and good health. One NYS WIC local agency in attendance, Bedford Stuyvesant Family Health Center, was featured by News 12 Brooklyn. Interviews with Breastfeeding Coordinator Celia Deane Joe and other participants can be seen here.

Breastfeeding Awareness Month

The following photographs were taken by Tina Boyadjieva a New York City-based photographer who traveled to traveled to 18 different countries photographing mothers from all around the world.

The Journal of Breastfeeding Medicine published a study in January 2017, titled; “Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding Patterns Among Women Enrolled in WIC: WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2.”, “Feeding My Baby”.

This large study conducted over a period of 5 years, across states nationwide looked at infant and toddler feeding practices during late pregnancy and early infancy used by parents and nutrition outcomes of children enrolled in WIC and the effect WIC has on these practices.

The study looked at:

• Attitudes toward breastfeeding
• Infant feeding perceptions of WIC services
• Where participants go for feeding advice
• Knowledge of WIC benefits and food packages

The study showed negative views of breastfeeding have decreased from 1995 to 2013 with 80% of WIC mothers believing breastfed babies are heathier offering them protection from disease and creating a strong bond with baby. From 1995 to 2013 negative views about breastfeeding has decreased.
The good news is, breastfeeding rates have more than doubled since earlier studies.

Main findings:

• The percentage of WIC infants who are exclusively breastfed without supplementation is very small
• Maternal race and ethnicity, immigrant status and maternal education are associated with the choice of feeding methods
• In addition to formula supplementation, substantial breastfed infants also receive some supplemental foods during the first few months
• Half of breastfeeding mothers supplement about the time their infant is 2 months old
• Mothers who have breastfeeding problems are 70% more likely to supplement
• Perceived benefits of breastfeeding are associated with lower likelihood of supplementation
• Knowledge of the WIC breastfeeding food package is associated with lower supplementation
• Half of WIC mothers who initiative breastfeeding wean their infant by 57 days of age
• Early initiation of cow’s milk or other milk appears to be less of a problem for WIC mothers
• 70% of mothers did not reach their breastfeeding goal

To view the reports:

• WIC IFPS- 1 Infant Feeding Practices Study, 1997 - https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-infant-feeding-practices-study
• WIC ITFPS-2 Infant Report: Intention to Breastfeed, 2015 - https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/special-supplemental-nutrition-program-women-infants-and-children-wic-infant-and-toddler-feeding
• WIC ITFPS-2 Infant Report: Infant Year Report, 2017 - https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-infant-and-toddler-feeding-practices-study-2-infant-year-report

Supplementary Feedings in the Healthy Term Breastfed Neonate, Revised 2017

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
We know breastfeeding decreases the risk of SIDS by 50 % or more. A study published in Science Daily, October 30, 2017, looked at breastfeeding duration and exclusively demonstrates breastfeeding for just 2 months cuts the risk in half and the longer baby is breastfed the greater the protection. The important finding in this study where they looked at several studies, mothers do not have to breastfeed exclusively, as previously thought. This is good news for mothers who chose to both breast and formula feed or are unable to exclusively breastfeed. You may wonder how breastfeeding influences SIDS, it is thought that breastfeeding offers protection against illness, has a calming effect on baby and the mother and helps baby organize their sleep/wake cycle.

To view the study:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171030123401.htm

Northeast Region Loving Support Awards
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed an internal Northeast Regional Office (NERO) Newsletter, 'At The Table'. This newsletter showcases the wonderful work that USDA's nutrition assistance programs are doing in our region, and the strong community partnerships that they have established.
We are delighted to announce that this year’s USDA Loving Support Awardees from the Northeast region are featured in the newsletter. The newsletter includes great pictures of our USDA representatives personally awarding our local agencies with their awards! The Northeast Region, comprised of 7 states, awarded 12 WIC local agencies in the NERO region with Loving Support Awards. New York local agencies received 8 of the 12 awards. They are as follows:

Whitney Young Health Center
Opportunities for Otsego, Inc.
Clinton County Health Department
Bedford Stuyvesant Family Health Center
St. Barnabas Health System
Urban Health Plan
Catholic Charities of Buffalo
The Stony Brook WIC Program

New Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) released

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) entitled, "Trends in Breastfeeding Among Infants Enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children — New York, 2002–2015." To assess breastfeeding trends among New York State WIC infants, indicators for measuring breastfeeding practices reported by the New York State WIC Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS) during 2002–2015 were examined. Despite improvements in breastfeeding initiation, increasing the duration of breastfeeding and of exclusive breastfeeding among infants enrolled in the New York State WIC program remains challenging. Identifying targeted strategies to support continued and exclusive breastfeeding should remain priorities for the New York State WIC program.

A Community Partnership to Support Breastfeeding Mothers of Late Preterm Infants

Late preterm infants are those born between 34 and 36 weeks’ gestation. These babies present challenges to mothers who want to exclusively breastfeed. These infants often adapt well to life outside the womb and may have difficulties with suck, have more sleepiness, low breast milk intake putting them at risk for readmission to the hospital for jaundice, weight loss or slow weight gain. In a recent article "A Community Partnership to Support Breastfeeding Mothers of Late Preterm Infants", published in Nursing for Women’s Health, August/September 2017 the article shows the importance of support for the late pre-term mother.
A partnership was formed between WIC and the hospital to ensure seamless continuity of care for mothers faced with unique challenges.
A tertiary hospital in the Mountain West region of the U.S. and a WIC peer counselor program formed a partnership to improve breastfeeding outcomes for the late preterm infant. The peer counselors received training to understand the challenges mothers faced and were encouraged to listen, encourage the mother and refer situations that were outside their scope of practice. The hospital NICU RN, Lactation Consultant would notify the WIC peer counselor and the PC would meet the mother in the hospital. This project was expanded beyond the NICU to the hospital mother/baby unit where all WIC mother/baby dyads were connected with a PC.

To review the entire article, visit: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2017.05.364

In a recent Webinar Dr. Marianne Neifert discussed how to support the mother of the late preterm infant: Preemie Series: “Just a Few Weeks Early, Breastfeeding Management for the Late Preterm Infant”. The archieved webinar can be viewed here.

Understanding Health Care Reform & Breastfeeding
Wondering how health care reform might impact breastfeeding promotion? The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee recently published a summary of the breastfeeding provisions in the Affordable Care Act. They also summarized potential impacts to breastfeeding from the proposed American Health Care Act. Read their analysis here.

Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Releases Revised Supplementary Feedings Protocol
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) recently updated their protocol for supplementary feedings of breastfed newborns. The revised protocol highlights ways to reduce the need for supplementary feedings, and clarifies how providers can determine whether supplementation is truly required. The revised protocol can be found here.

UN Supports and Promotes Breastfeeding

A joint statement was issued by United Nation experts telling countries they need to do more to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding as a human right, including ending the inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes and other foods intended for infants and young children.
UN experts emphasized the importance and many benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and child. Concern was expressed about the lack of progress made in improving breastfeeding rates globally and in providing women and their children with the support and protection they are entitled to.
The experts voiced particular concern about the continued misleading marketing of breast milk substitutes and other foods intended for infants and young children. They pointed out that there is little corporate accountability for the adverse consequences of such marketing practices which, the experts said, continue to undermine efforts to improve early and exclusive breastfeeding rates.
The experts called upon governments to take all necessary measures to promote and protect breastfeeding and welcomed renewed global efforts to reduce the inappropriate marketing of commercially prepared foods for infants and young children.

National WIC Association Statement on Infant Formula Manufacturers

The National WIC Association (NWA) announced during the NWA’s 2016 Nutrition and Education Conference they are ending their relationship with infant formula manufacturers. Effective immediately NWA will no longer invite infant formula companies to be members, exhibitors at conferences, advertisers or sponsors of events and activities. This move furthers NWAs goal of supporting WIC as the nation’s Go-to Breastfeeding Program. For more information, please click here.

NYC Lactation Accommodations

This webpage addresses Local Laws 185 and 186, providing workplace lactation accommodations. Employers are required to have a lactation policy in place, and as such the NYC Commission on Human Rights created model policies for workplaces to use as a framework for their own policies.

2018 Breastfeeding Report Card

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released its 2018 Breastfeeding Report Card. The Report Card provides national and state-level data on breastfeeding objectives highlighted in Healthy People 2020 such as initiation, duration, and early introduction of formula to breastfed infants. High nationwide initiation suggests that many US mothers wish to breastfeed, yet much lower rates of any breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding by 6 and 12 months suggest mothers may not be receiving an adequate amount of support for their needs. Despite these difficulties, the report notes that the nation now meets 5 of the 8 Healthy People 2020 goals. Some findings include the following:

Among infants born in 2015:
• More than 4 out of 5 (83.2%) initiate breastfeeding.
• Almost half (46.9%) were exclusively breastfeeding at 3 months old.
• More than one-third (35.9%) of infants were breastfeeding at 12 months old.

Additionally:
• More than 1 in 4 babies are now born in facilities that provide recommended maternity care practices for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
• Almost half (49%) of employers provide work site lactation support programs.

Findings specific to New York State include the following:
• 85.1% of infants initiate breastfeeding
• 59.5% and 38.2% of infants are breastfeeding at 6 and 12 months, respectively.
• At 3 months of age only 42.8% of infants are exclusively breastfeeding. This number decreases to 21.4% by 6 months.
• The percentage of breastfed infants receiving formula before 2 days of age is 17.2% for the United States as a whole; In New York state this figure is 26.5%.

The WIC Program continues to promote and support breastfeeding as the normal method of infant feeding by helping mothers reach their breastfeeding goals. View additional information about the Report Card.