Breastfeeding Resources for Parents

The USBC is a national coalition. We work with groups across the United States on policies and systems related to breastfeeding. While we do not offer direct breastfeeding support, we hope this webpage can help families find the support and resources they need. If you are experiencing an infant feeding emergency, please call your doctor, visit the emergency room, or dial 911.

We will update this webpage as new information becomes available. Help us make this page better by letting us know if we are missing anything using this form. Please email [email protected] with any questions or comments.

Breastfeeding and Human Milk Resource Guide for Parents

Use the Table of Contents links to navigate between sections of this resource page.

1. Pregnancy, Birth, and Making the Decision to Breastfeed
2. Basics of Breastfeeding and Breastfeeding Support

Finding Lactation Support Providers
Breast Milk Storage & Handling
Breastfeeding in Emergencies

3. Donor Human Milk
4. Breastfeeding and Returning to School
5. Breastfeeding and Returning to Work

Workplace rights
State paid leave
Maintaining milk supply and storing expressed milk

6. Insurance and Access to Lactation Supplies
7. Breastfeeding and Medications, Vaccinations, and Diseases

Last updated 12/2024

Pregnancy, Birth, and Making the Decision to Breastfeed

Baby-Friendly hospitals and birthing centers:
- Find a Baby-Friendly Facility
Breastfeeding recommendations from health professional associations and other health and nutrition agencies:
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine: ABM Position Statement
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Breastfeeding (Policy Statement)
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Practice Advisory to Update the Duration of Breastfeeding
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- World Health Organizations: Breastfeeding: Recommendations

Basics of Breastfeeding and Breastfeeding Support

Immediate personal support for breastfeeding (latch issues, establishing and maintaining milk supply, etc.):
- Baby Café USA: Find a Baby Café
- Breastfeeding USA: Breastfeeding USA Warmline
- Global Military Lactation Community: Find a Chapter
- La Leche League Alliance for Breastfeeding Education: Find Breastfeeding Help
- La Leche League USA: Find a La Leche League USA Leader or Group Near You
- Office on Women's Health: National Women's Health and Breastfeeding Helpline
- Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere: The Drip
- WIC Breastfeeding Support: Get Support from WIC
Identity-specific resources:
Online educational resources:
- Global Health Media Project: Breastfeeding Library
- Office on Women's Health: Breastfeeding Webpage
Lactation support provider descriptor chart:
- U.S. Breastfeeding Committee: Lactation Support Provider Chart
Local lactation support providers:
- Appalachian Breastfeeding Network: Lactation Resource Database
- Breastfeeding USA: Find a Breastfeeding Counselor
- BreastfeedLA: Find Support: Resources Map
- Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association: Doula & Educator Directory
- International Lactation Consultant Association: Find a Lactation Consultant Directory
- The Academy of Lactation Policy & Practice: How Do I Find a Certified Lactation Counselor?
- United States Lactation Consultant Association: Find an IBCLC
- ZipMilk: Provider Directory
Find a physician near you:
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine: Find a Physician
- Institute for the Advancement of Breastfeeding & Lactation Education: Find Breastfeeding and Lactation Support Services in your Community (LactMap)
- North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine: Certified Physicians
Guidelines on safe breast milk storage and handling and cleaning of infant feeding items:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
  - About Breast Pump Hygiene
  - Breast Milk Storage and Preparation
Traveling with human milk or while breastfeeding:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Travel Recommendations for Nursing Families
- Transportation Security Administration: Traveling with Children
Breastfeeding in Public:
- WIC Breastfeeding Support: Breastfeeding with Confidence
Breastfeeding during an emergency:
- U.S. Breastfeeding Committee: Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies

Donor Human Milk

Donating breast milk, receiving donor milk, and locating a local milk bank:
- Human Milk Banking Association of North America:

Breastfeeding and Returning to School

Student rights while breastfeeding:
- The Pregnant Scholar: Know Your Rights: Breastfeeding
Direct support for breastfeeding students including information for students facing sex discrimination on campus:
- The Pregnant Scholar: Contact Us

Breastfeeding and Returning to Work

Breastfeeding protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act:
- A Better Balance: Pregnant and Postpartum Workers: Know Your Rights!
- Department of Labor: What to Expect from Your Employer When You're Expecting
- Pregnant @ Work: Workplace Lactation Laws Interactive Map
- U.S. Breastfeeding Committee: Understanding Protections for Pregnant and Lactating Workers
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Time and Place to Pump at Work: Your Rights
State paid leave laws:
- Bipartisan Policy Center: State Paid Family Leave Laws explainer
- A Better Balance: Overview of Family Leave Laws in the United States
Workplace rights while pregnant and breastfeeding, including lactation accommodations and pumping breaks while at work:
- A Better Balance: Get Help
- Center for WorkLife Law: Get Help
- Center for WorkLife Law & A Better Balance: Talking to Your Boss About Your Pump
Maintaining milk supply and storing expressed milk while working:
- Cleveland Clinic: Pumping at Work: Schedule and Tips
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Breastfeeding and Returning to Your Workplace
- Office on Women's Health: Pumping and storing breastmilk

Insurance and Access to Lactation Supplies

Health insurance coverage of lactation support services and supplies:
- Food and Drug Administration:
- Healthcare.gov: Breastfeeding Benefits
- National Women's Law Center:
  - CoverHer Hotline
  - New Benefits for Breastfeeding Moms: Facts and Tools to Understand your Coverage under the Health Care Law
- Tricare: Breast Pumps and Supplies

Breastfeeding and Medications, Vaccinations, and Diseases

Medication safety while breastfeeding:
- e-lactancia: Is it compatible with breastfeeding? (Spanish and English)
- InfantRisk Center: InfantRisk Call Center
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®)
Breastfeeding during illness:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Illnesses of Conditions and Breastfeeding
Vaccination safety while breastfeeding:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Vaccination Safety for Breastfeeding Mothers

For additional resources, visit our Reference Materials webpage.

Parent Resources: Breastfeeding & Human Milk