STRATEGY: CONTINUITY OF CARE FOR BREASTFEEDING FAMILIES
Supporting Breastfeeding Families
Breastfeeding is Healthier for Mothers & Children
Breast milk provides adequate nutrition that changes over time to meet the baby’s needs. It contains antibodies that aid in developing a strong immune system to protect them from illnesses.
By prioritizing breastfeeding education and resource sharing, we’re helping to build stronger families right from the start.
Breastfeeding Recommendations
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the World Health Organization(WHO) all recommend exclusive breastfeeding until the baby is 6 months. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans also state that continued breastfeeding for up to 12 months or longer is recommended while introducing the baby to other appropriate foods. However, the WHO and the American Academy for Pediatrics recommend continued breastfeeding for up to 2 years of age or longer.
Through Local-Level Strategies, Our Goals Are To:
Increase access to programs that support breastfeeding families.
1
Increase breastfeeding rates in Wayne County.
2
Over time, increased breastfeeding rates will improve health behaviors and outcomes, and reduce disparities in chronic conditions and immunization rates.
Breastfeeding Support Organizations & Resources
The following organizations have joined the Coalition and are available to provide support to breastfeeding families.
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JOY OF BREASTFEEDING (J.O.B)
This program provides in-home lactation visits, integrated into postpartum doula and IBCLC care, with a unique emphasis on meal support to address food insecurity. Lactation home visits offer mothers hands-on breastfeeding support in a familiar, comfortable environment, breaking down barriers to accessing lactation care.
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COREWELL HEALTH
Their co-parenting education and support department offers prenatal and parenting classes to families. They focus on providing support immediately after the baby is born.
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BIRTH DETROIT
A midwifery-focused birth center providing culturally relevant, community-based maternal health care in Detroit. It’s the city’s first and only freestanding birth center, offering prenatal, birth, and postpartum care in a home-like setting outside of a hospital environment.
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BLACK MOTHERS' BREASTFEEDING ASSOCIATION (BMBFA)
BMBFA aims to build foundational networks of support, and strengthen systems to overcome historical, societal and social barriers to breastfeeding success.