In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new breastfeeding data from the National Immunization Survey-Child (NIS-Child). The data capture the breastfeeding rates of infants born in the United States in 2021. CDC uses data from the NIS-Child to understand rates of breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity across time. This data is also used to monitor progress toward the nation’s breastfeeding targets, as outlined in Healthy People 2030 (HP2030). 

• Access the new breastfeeding rates and compare them to data from previous years
  
• View the new breastfeeding rates by state
  
• View the new breastfeeding by demographic data
  

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee hosted a Membership Meeting on Thursday, September 26. The biannual virtual event brings together the approximately 140 member organizations that comprise the USBC and work collaboratively to drive policy and practice changes that create a landscape of breastfeeding support.

At the opening of the meeting, Dr. Kimarie Bugg delivered the “Mission Moment,” a meeting-opening practice that serves to connect our work to the people we serve and the positive and impactful change we seek. Thank you Dr. Bugg for grounding us in what is happening in the world, giving us hope about what is possible, and guiding us in what we can do right now!

On Friday, September 6, the White House Gender Policy Council and Office of Public Engagement convened workers, advocates, and unions to discuss the importance of recent workplace protections included in the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act, signed into law in 2022. 

USBC Executive Director Jennifer Day and National Policy Director Cheryl Lebedevitch were invited to join the roundtable event alongside changemakers from across the lactation field, including Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities, the Center for WorkLife Law, A Better Balance, American Civil Liberties Union, MomsRising, the Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association, and beyond. 

The event included a discussion from Gender Policy Council Director Jennifer Klein, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Charlotte Burrows, and Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the U.S. Department of Labor Jessica Looman on the Administration’s efforts to implement these historic new protections and ensure that pregnant and postpartum workers understand their rights under these important new laws.