United States National Advocacy
Worldwide International Advocacy
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The mission of United States Breastfeeding Committee is to
improve the Nation's health by working collaboratively to
protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
Starting in 1995, a small group of breastfeeding advocates met to discuss the need for coordination of breastfeeding activities in the U.S. After conducting an intensive needs assessment, the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy (NABA) was formed to address needs not being met by organizations, government agencies or individuals. NABA convened the first National Breastfeeding Leadership Roundtable (NBLR) in January 1996 to determine if another organization was needed to move breastfeeding forward in this country. Working on the international model, the formation of this committee, if successful, would satisfy one of the four operational targets set forth by the 1990 Innocenti Delaration. This was to establish a multi-sectoral national breastfeeding committee composed of representatives from relevant government departments, non-governmental organizations, and health professional associations in every country.
It was agreed at that meeting of nineteen breastfeeding leaders to do four things. First, to support ongoing breastfeeding projects in the U.S. Second, to develop a strategic plan for breastfeeding in the U.S. Third, to formalize NBLR into the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (USBC). And finally, to establish the organization of the USBC and its leadership, the NBLR continued to meet twice a year and in January 1998 voted to declare itself, with the encouragement of Assistant Surgeon General Dr. Audrey Nora, the United States Breastfeeding Committee.
The USBC is a collaborative partnership of organizations. The mission of the committee is to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in the U.S. The USBC exists to assure the rightful place of breastfeeding in society.
Florida attendees to the United States Breastfeeding Committee Conference from Florida:
For 2006: Kelly Bonyata, Dianne Veatch, Marsha Pearlman, Joan Meek
For 2008: Mary Becker, Pat Lindsey, Joan Meek
For 2010: Debbie Albert, Pat Lindsey, Joan Meek, Sandra Sullivan, Marsha
Pearlman
For 2012: Joan Meek, Pat Lindsey, Nancy Faul, Heidi Agostinho
For 2014: Joan Meek, Pat Lindsey, Nancy Faul, Heidi Agostinho, Jessie Gordon, Esther March-Singleton, Felisha Floyd, Cynthia Sears
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Healthy People 2020 Breastfeeding Objectives
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Florida Breastfeeding Coalition joins the United States Breastfeeding Committee and others in applauding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services new objectives for Healthy People 2020, which include several new goals for providing support for breastfeeding families. The new 10-year goals and objectives for health promotion and disease prevention in the U.S. were unveiled today in Washington, D.C. Among the new targets for breastfeeding are the following new goals in the Maternal, Infant, and Child Health category:
 MICH-22: Increase the proportion of employers that have worksite lactation support programs from 25% baseline to 38% MICH-23: Reduce the proportion of breastfed newborns who receive formula supplementation within the first 2 days of life from 15.6% baseline to 10%.
MICH-24: Increase the proportion of live births that occur in facilities that provide recommended care for lactating mothers and their babies from 2.9% baseline to 8.1%.
In addition to these breastfeeding support goals, Healthy People 2020 raised the targets for breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity, establishing goals to increase the proportion of infants who are breastfed:
MICH-21.1: Ever from 73.9% baseline to 81.9%
MICH-21.2: At 6 months from 43.4% baseline to 60.5%
MICH 21.3: At 1 year from 22.7% baseline to 34.1%
MICH 21.4: Exclusively through 3 months from 33.1% baseline to 44.3%
MICH 21.5: Exclusively through 6 months from 13.6% baseline to 23.7%
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Breastfeeding education begins during the prenatal period through contacts with the pediatrician, obstetrician, physician’s office staff, lactation consultants, WIC personnel and/or Maternity Medicaid Care Coordinators.
The Florida Breastfeeding Coalition supports the Ten Steps To Successful Breastfeeding criteria and encourages all delivering hospitals to initiate as many steps as possible in their facility. The Ten Steps Process is supported by The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
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The Ten Steps To Successful Breastfeeding
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1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely
communicated to staff.
2. Train all healthcare workers in the skills necessary to
implement the breastfeeding policies.
3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and
management of breastfeeding.
4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding soon after birth.
5. Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain
lactation even though she may be separated from her baby.
6. Give newborn infants no feed or drink other than breast milk,
unless medically indicated.
7. Practice rooming-in, allowing mothers and infants to remain
together throughout the day.
8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
9. Give no artificial teats, dummies, or pacifiers to
breastfeeding infants.
10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups
and refer mothers on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
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1. Train healthcare professionals who provide maternal and
childcare on the basics of lactation, breastfeeding
counseling, and lactation management during course-work,
clinical and in-service training, and continuing education.
2. Ensure that breastfeeding mothers have access to
comprehensive, up-to-date, and culturally tailored lactation
services provided by trained physicians, nurses, lactation
consultants, and nutritionists/dieticians.
3. Establish hospital and maternity center practices that
promote breastfeeding, such as the “Ten Steps to
Successful Breastfeeding.”
4. Develop breastfeeding education for women, their partners,
and other significant family members during the prenatal
and postnatal visits.
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Workplace
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1. Facilitate breastfeeding or breast milk expression in the
workplace by providing private rooms, commercial grade
pumps, milk storage arrangements, adequate breaks during
the day, flexible work schedules, and onsite childcare
facilities.
2. Establish family and community programs that enable
breastfeeding continuation when women return to work in all
possible settings.
3. Encourage childcare facilities to provide quality
breastfeeding support.
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Family & Community
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1. Develop social support and information resources for
breastfeeding women such as hotlines, peer counseling,
and mother-to-mother support groups.
2. Launch and evaluate a public health marketing campaign
portraying breastfeeding as normal, desirable, and
achievable.
3. Encourage the media to portray breastfeeding as normal,
desirable, and achievable for women of all cultures and
socioeconomic levels.
4. Encourage fathers and other family members to be actively
involved throughout the breastfeeding experience.
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