National Breastfeeding Month special section, FY23 Appropriations Analysis, and more

Weekly Wire: July 15, 2022

In this issue:

• USBC Updates
  • Update on Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations and Infant Feeding
  • USBC Media Highlight on Infant Formula Recall and Shortage
  • New USBC Website
• Special Section on National Breastfeeding Month 2022
• National News
  • State Reports from 2020 mPINC Survey Available
  • Webpage on Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
  • Proposed Data Collection for PRAMS Survey
  • SIDS Awareness Month Activities Webinar
  • Call for Presenters at BMBFA Conference
  • Report on Fifth Year of WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study
  • Public Comment Opportunity on Proposed Changes to Title IX
  • Public Comment Opportunity on TRICARE Demonstration Project
  • Funding Opportunity to Address Hunger, Food, and Nutrition Insecurity
  • Call for Content on Complementary Feeding in Emergencies
• State & Community News
  • Webinar on California Paid Leave and Lactation Accommodations
  • New York Law Protecting Right to Lactation Accommodations in Airports
  • Report on Implementation of Connecticut Paid Leave Program
  • Policy Brief on Early Lessons from DC Paid Leave Program
• News & Views
  • Media Highlights
  • Journal Publications 

  denotes a USBC member organization news item   denotes a USBC-affiliated constellation news item

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USBC Updates

Update on Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations and Infant Feeding

The House Committee on Appropriations approved the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations bills and associated reports. Funding provisions that impact infant feeding are included in several appropriations bills. The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee published a blog post titled "FY23 Appropriations: What the house bills mean for infant feeding" that highlights the critical need for federal funding that supports infant feeding. The USBC also updated the "Federal Appropriations for Breastfeeding" webpage to reflect the current status of the appropriations process. This is one of several steps in the appropriations process, and it is crucial for the voices of breastfeeding families to be heard!

• Join the organizational sign-on letter
• Take action as an individual

USBC Media Highlight on Infant Formula Recall and Shortage

USBC Deputy Director Amelia Psmythe Seger was featured in a CNN article titled "Companies aggressively marketed baby formula. Then there was a shortage." In the article, Amelia draws attention to the negative impact of exploitative formula marketing to parents during vulnerable times in their lives.

New USBC Website

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee has launched our new streamlined website! The website features an improved look and increased searchability in a more user-friendly and mobile-friendly format. The new website is one of several recent and ongoing updates to our internal and external technology systems that our team is making in order to better serve our network and achieve our shared mission to create a landscape of breastfeeding support. Stay tuned as we continue to expand and improve our offerings and please let us know if you need assistance or have questions by contacting office@usbreastfeeding.org.

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Special Section on National Breastfeeding Month 2022

National Breastfeeding Month is right around the corner! The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is busy preparing for a busy month of activities and events. Please be sure to share your organization's plans so we can amplify your work in the Weekly Wire and on social media. Highlights from the field include:

• 1,000 Days: 1,000 Days launched a survey seeking input on the design of this year's breastfeeding inspiration guide. The guide is comprised of unbranded, open-source content for organizations to use during National Breastfeeding Month and beyond. The deadline to share feedback is Wednesday, July 20.
• BBW: The organizers of Black Breastfeeding Week announced that this year's theme is BBW 22: 10 Years, A New Foundation. The theme celebrates the 10th anniversary of Black Breastfeeding Week and the countless stories of families, past, present, and future.
• IMMC: The Indigenous Milk Medicine Collective announced that the theme of this year's Indigenous Milk Medicine Week is Strengthening Our Traditions From Birth and Beyond. This year's featured artist is Kawahine Danner, an Iñupiaq/Native Hawaiian artist.
• Nebraska Breastfeeding Coalition: The Nebraska Breastfeeding Coalition (NBC) successfully requested a proclamation from Governor Pete Ricketts declaring August as "Breastfeeding Month" in Nebraska. Congratulations and thank you, NBC!
• USBC: The official NBM t-shirt from the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is still available in a variety of colors and styles, including kids' sizes. About $5 of each sale goes toward supporting USBC efforts to advance our mission of thriving families and communities.
• USDA: The U.S. Department of Agriculture updated the WIC Breastfeeding Support social media library to include shareable National Breastfeeding Month graphics.

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National News

State Reports from 2020 mPINC Survey Available

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published regional reports from the national survey of Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC). The updated webpage groups data into seven regions and links each state report directly. A file of all data is also available to download. The mPINC survey measures care practices and policies related to newborn feeding, feeding education, staff skills, and discharge support.

Webpage on Breastfeeding and Returning to Work

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity published a webpage titled "Breastfeeding and Returning to Your Workplace." The webpage answers questions about expressing breast milk when returning to the workplace after having a baby, and provides tips for parents on talking to employers and cleaning breast pump kit parts at the workplace.

Proposed Data Collection for PRAMS Survey

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a public comment period on proposed information collection through the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). PRAMS is a surveillance project of the CDC and state health departments that collects jurisdiction-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. Comments must be received by Tuesday, September 6, 2022.

SIDS Awareness Month Activities Webinar

The National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will host a webinar titled "SIDS Awareness Month 2022 Activities" on Thursday, July 21, at 1 p.m. ET. Speakers from NICHD will share resources about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and introduce activities that organizations can participate in during SIDS Awareness Month in October and beyond.

Call for Presenters at BMBFA Conference

Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association launched a call for presenters for "Virtual Road Trip: A Birth and Breastfeeding Conference." Submissions should be aligned with the conference goal to optimize the birth and breastfeeding experience of Black families throughout the nation and fit within one of the thematic tracks. The deadline to submit is Monday, July 25.

Report on Fifth Year of WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service published a report titled "WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2: Fifth Year Report." The report describes results from a longitudinal study designed to examine the feeding practices employed by caregivers and the nutrition-related outcomes of children who enrolled in WIC around the time of birth. The report focuses on the dietary intake patterns, eating behaviors, and weight status of children during the fifth year of life, including examining whether early feeding practices, including breastfeeding, impact behaviors and outcomes at age five. Researchers found that longer breastfeeding duration is associated with lower intake of sugar sweetened beverages, lower sodium intake, and children's body mass index. 

Public Comment Opportunity on Proposed Changes to Title IX

The U.S. Department of Education, Office on Civil Rights announced a public comment period for a proposal to amend the regulations implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). The purpose of the proposed regulation is to better align the Title IX regulatory requirements with Title IX's nondiscrimination mandate and to clarify both the scope and application of Title IX and the obligation of all schools, including elementary schools, secondary schools, postsecondary institutions, and other recipients that receive Federal financial assistance from the Department to provide an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex. Under the proposed regulations, employees and students must be provided lactation space for expressing breast milk or breastfeeding that is not a bathroom, and is clean, shielded from view, and free from intrusion. The draft regulations would also define pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions more consistently and recognize lactation as a pregnancy-related condition. The public comment period ends on Monday, September 12.

Public Comment Opportunity on TRICARE Demonstration Project

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) opened a public comment period for proposed information collection through the "Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration Survey." Data from the survey results could be used to develop mandatory reports to Congress from DoD and recommendations for permanent implementation of some or all of the demonstration elements into the TRICARE Program. Comments must be submitted on or before Monday, August 8.

Funding Opportunity to Address Hunger, Food, and Nutrition Insecurity

The National Institutes of Health, Office of Nutrition Research launched a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) titled "Stimulating Research to Understand and Address Hunger, Food and Nutrition Insecurity." The purpose of the NOSI is to encourage research on the efficacy of interventions that address nutrition security and the mechanisms of food insecurity on a variety of health outcomes. Research that characterizes patterns of dietary intake and supplement use in special groups at risk of hunger and nutrition insecurity, including infants and children, females of reproductive age, pregnant and lactating women, are of interest. The NOSI also calls for the development of new, broadly applicable measures for nutrition security and assessment of food insecurity.

Call for Content on Complementary Feeding in Emergencies

The journal Field Exchange launched a call for content for a special issue on complementary feeding in emergencies. The journal is seeking submissions that provide practical practitioner experiences and learnings from humanitarian and development contexts, with particular interest in content that fills gaps identified by the Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Core Group. Submissions will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until Wednesday, August 24.

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State & Community News

Webinar on California Paid Leave and Lactation Accommodations

The San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition and California Work & Family Coalition are hosting a two-part webinar about paid leave and lactation accommodations in California. Speakers will discuss the mechanics of paid leave and the right to lactation accommodations at work.

• Taking Time To Bond: Understanding to Navigate Paid Family Leave on Thursday, July 21, at 1 p.m. ET
• Returning To Work: Lactation Accommodations on Thursday, July 28, at 1 p.m. ET

New York Law Protecting Right to Lactation Accommodations in Airports

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed S.3866/A.7813 into law. The law amends current Public Health Law to ensure airports in the state have lactation accommodations behind the airport security screening area. Read the press release. Media highlights include:

• Spectrum News 1: "New law requires private breastfeeding areas in New York airports"

Report on Implementation of Connecticut Paid Leave Program

The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority published a report titled "Connecticut Paid Leave Annual Report 2022." The report includes information about outreach and engagement, advertising about the program, and breakdowns of claim information. During the agency's first six months of operation, more than 16,300 Connecticut workers received benefits totaling over $81 million. Media highlights include:

• CT News Junkie: "CT Paid Leave Pays Out More Than $81M In Benefits"

Policy Brief on Early Lessons from DC Paid Leave Program

The Center for Law and Social Policy released a policy brief titled "Early Lessons from D.C.'s Paid Leave Program." The report evaluates the rollout of the District of Columbia paid leave program based on available data and interviews with community-based organizations. This report highlights the barriers to access and equity in the paid leave program, as well as local government efforts to improve the program.

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News & Views

Media Highlights

12 News: "Phoenix is offering 12 weeks of paid parental leave to employees"

ACOG blog post: "ACOG's Delegation to the AMA: Historic Advances for Reproductive Health"

Fortune: "We are failing America's working moms"

Military.com: "New Reserve Maternity Leave Policy Issued by Pentagon 18 Months After Congressional Order"

Time: "Breastfeeding Access Is a Workplace Issue"

Journal Publications

Frontiers in Immunology: "Effects of Vaccination Against Influenza, Pertussis, and COVID-19 on Human Milk Antibodies: Current Evidence and Implications for Health Equity"

Public Health Reports: "Prepregnancy and Gestational Diabetes and Cessation of Breastfeeding <1 Week Postpartum, United States, 2016-2018"