Community Agreements & Guidelines

The USBC joins the U.S. Surgeon General in calling on employers, policymakers, health care and lactation support providers, families, the media, and the general public to shape an environment that protects, promotes, and supports breastfeeding and human milk feeding. Your input is truly invaluable to this work, and in our role as the national breastfeeding coalition, we are thrilled to be able to interact with you!

USBC social media and communities (online and in person) are intended to be for connection, collaboration, and the exchange of information relevant to our work "to drive collaborative efforts for policy and practices that create a landscape of breastfeeding support across the United States." Therefore, the content should be related specifically to advocacy and collaboration efforts that "help make breastfeeding easier."

Social Media and Community Guidelines

The USBC focus as a coalition is on collaboration—our mission centers around connecting the many diverse entities working on breastfeeding (and its intersections) in all sectors of society. As such, trust-building and collaboration are of the utmost importance. This includes sharing time, space, and information with member and partner organizations, and the individuals that represent them. Recognizing that the USBC serves many constituencies with sometimes different and even conflicting needs, we realize that all users/fans/followers/subscribers and members and partners in our communities will not always agree on all issues. And yet, respect is mandatory.
Therefore, we ask that everyone interacting with USBC social media, communities, and in the member network follow these guidelines with this spirit:

The USBC welcomes and supports ALL breastfeeding people and families, regardless of racial or ethnic identity, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, educational background or socioeconomic status.
This community is dedicated to taking action to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding and human milk feeding. This does not include shaming or blaming parents who need or choose to formula feed or supplement.
Engage with the community in a way that is civil and promotes an overall feeling of safety, comfort, and support for everyone. Please remember that:
- Each of us comes with good intentions.
- Each of us is doing our best at this moment.
- Each of us has relevant skills and knowledge.
You are communicating with REAL people who have REAL feelings, and we ask that you act accordingly. We encourage you to remember that online communication strips all nuance from a message because the reader cannot hear your tone of voice or see your facial expressions or body language. Misunderstandings can easily happen when we are working with just the written word. Please be especially mindful of this while commenting and reading. Readers may infuse a message with a sentiment that wasn't there on the part of the writer. It can be easy to "get carried away" in the heat of the moment and hard to make up for it afterward. Please be kind, polite, respectful, and calm, even when you might be disagreeing with others.
The USBC values respectful differences of opinion. You don't have to agree with everything, but we ask that the discourse remain respectful, constructive, and supportive. Please remember that:
- Affirming one another builds a sense of community.
- No shaming, attacking, or discounting will be tolerated.
Do NOT attack other commenters, whether individuals or organizations. Insults, name-calling, disrespect, gossip/speculation, and attacks are not appropriate, and will not be tolerated. All such attacks will be deleted from online spaces, and in other communities, offenders will be asked to step out. If something upsets or offends you, consider taking a moment to walk away or breathe, or simply don't engage.
Regarding content, the USBC has no obligation to delete content that you find personally objectionable or offensive. We reserve the right to remove any content we deem inappropriate, with or without warning.
You do not need to agree with these guidelines, but you do need to respect them. Comments that violate these guidelines will result in the commenter's permissions being blocked. By participating in our community you are agreeing to abide by the spirit and letter of our guidelines, and to submit to their interpretation and enforcement by our staff.

Thank you for your participation in making USBC social media and communities safe places to connect and collaborate!

Adapted from various community guidelines including, but not limited to, the USBC Conference Community Norms, the Best for Babes Foundation, and KellyMom.com.

Brave Space Agreements

At the USBC we believe courageous and invigorating conversations are essential to achieving our vision of thriving families and communities. We commit to holding brave learning spaces where First Food field advocates can explore difficult issues with courage and curiosity. A brave space allows individuals to express themselves and learn from one another in ways that positively challenge previous perspectives.

In USBC spaces we commit to calling people and organizations “in” to accountability and connection, rather than calling them “out” with shame or blame. These group agreements are the guard rails, to provide guidance for everyone engaging in our work.

These agreements were adapted using several resources including the USBC-affiliated Lactation Support Provider Constellation, ProInspire, The Equity Lab, and Courageous Conversations®. Download our Brave Space Agreements by clicking this link or the image.

Additional Considerations

Unless otherwise noted, doctors or other health care professionals do not write posted content. The information posted is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you are concerned about your health or your child's health, please consult with your healthcare provider.
Content is provided for informational and sharing purposes only. The posting or sharing of any link, article, or other content item should never be interpreted as an endorsement of such thing by the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee unless expressly noted. USBC has a strict endorsement policy requiring a formal request and approval process. Any endorsements will be explicitly listed as such.
Content posted by users/fans/followers/subscribers does not necessarily reflect the views of the USBC, and the USBC is in no way responsible or liable for any such content.
We ask that any promotional posts/links be sent to the office by emailing [email protected] privately for approval. Please do NOT post advertising (of products or services) or links to your business. Advertisement posts made without prior permission may be deleted. Repeat posts violating this procedure may result in removal/blocking from the fora.