Breastfeeding: Information For Healthcare Professionals
Breastfeeding is best for the health of infants and mothers. As more families are choosing to breastfeed, more healthcare providers need to have the skills to support them. Visit the links below for more information on clinically based applications on breastfeeding.
Continuing Education for Healthcare Professionals
Advancing Breastfeeding Support Across Rhode Island ECHO® Learning Series
CTC-RI, in partnership with RIDOH and UHC, is excited to offer the Advancing Breastfeeding Support Across Rhode Island ECHO® Series that is designed to provide continuing education opportunities and increase lactation workforce capacity to provide equity-centered counseling, complex case management and cross-sector coordination. Participants will collaborate with each other and engage in ongoing learning.
Target Professionals
- Pediatricians
- Physicians
- Doulas
- Nurse Midwives
- Nurses
Participants have up to one year to claim CME/CE credits after completing the evaluation. For CERPs, participants have up to two years to claim their credits. Evaluation link: https://ctc-ri.jotform.com/form/breastfeeding-echo-eval
Other Continuing Educational Resources
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Breastfeeding Curriculum (AAP)
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding Tools for Healthcare Professionals
- Information on Medications for the Lactating Mother: Lactmed National Library of Medicine Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed); or Infant Risk Center - InfantRisk Center Resources | InfantRisk Center
- The Breastfeeding-Friendly Pediatric Office Practice
- Sample Hospital Breastfeeding Policy for Newborns
Hospitals play an important role in successful breastfeeding. Much of this success can be based on the Ten Steps for Baby Friendly Hospital from Baby Friendly USA. The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Breastfeeding and the Section on Perinatal Pediatrics have written a sample breastfeeding hospital policy that outlines the policies and procedures that hospitals should take to support breastfeeding and Baby Friendly USA has guidelines for hospital implementation: Baby-Friendly-GEC-Final.pdf - Newborn Weight Tool | Penn State Health
- Early Weight Loss Nomograms for Exclusively Breastfed Newborns | Pediatrics | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Lactation Support Providers Descriptors Table
Lactation support personnel are described in detail in this easy to reference table. - Are you a lactation professional in Rhode Island? Register your business with ZipMilk.
Resources for Your Patients
- Breastfeeding Helpline 800-994-9662
The National Women's Health and Breastfeeding Helpline offers breastfeeding information anytime between 9 am and 6 pm Eastern Monday through Friday in English or Spanish. - HealthyChildren.org
Find a vast library of articles on breastfeeding from AAP experts designed to help families become more informed and find answers to common breastfeeding questions . - Firstdroplets.com
Great videos and information in English and Spanish.