Supporting and Promoting Breastfeeding, Chestfeeding and Lactation in Health Care Settings

Overview

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, with continued breastfeeding through one year or longer, is recommended because of the known health benefits for the infant and birth parent, and population health and economic benefits to the greater society.

In 2014, as part of the rollout of the New York State Prevention Agenda, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) worked with the Center for Public Health Continuing Education (CPHCE) to develop a series of presentations on promoting breastfeeding in prenatal, hospital and postpartum health care settings.

While awareness and knowledge of breastfeeding benefits and breastfeeding rates have increased, educational efforts are not always culturally relevant or inclusive. Expert recommendations have changed. Hospital and outpatient policies, maternity care practices and lactation support vary across New York. Significant disparities persist in breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity and duration by race/ethnicity, educational attainment, income, insurance status and geography.

The NYSDOH worked with CPHCE in 2021-2022 to update and revise these webinars and provide continuing education credits for viewers. This four-part webinar series is now available for on-demand viewing.

Inclusive Language Statement

Lactation professionals, experts and advocates are actively discussing ways to promote diversity, inclusion and equity in promoting and supporting infant human milk feeding. There is no consensus on the best way to change language or terminology. The appropriate use of gender- or sex-based language differs by the purpose, context, or audience, and whether one is discussing research findings, making recommendations about a population, or providing one-on-one counseling with a patient or client.

The webinars strive to use culturally appropriate, inclusive language when discussing human milk feeding. During this transition period, the planners and speakers opted to use the terms breastfeeding, chestfeeding and lactation to recognize diversity in gender and gender identity and to support diversity and inclusion.