Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - White Paper on Critical Need for Exclusive Human Milk for Premature Infants, WHO 2030 Global Breastfeeding Targets, & More

The USBC e-Newsletter, Staying Abreast, is published in a weekly news brief format, called the Weekly Wire (WW). Past issues are archived below.

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Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - White Paper on Critical Need for Exclusive Human Milk for Premature Infants, WHO 2030 Global Breastfeeding Targets, & More

10/31/2025

Weekly Wire: October 31, 2025

The Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire e-Newsletter is a compendium of news, actions, and resources considered to be of interest or relevance to the breastfeeding field. The newsletter aims to support the USBC mission "To drive collaborative efforts for policy and practices that create a landscape of breastfeeding support across the United States." Included items are submitted for consideration or identified by the USBC e-news team via extensive online review. Whenever possible, the newsletter utilizes language directly from the primary source of an item without additional analysis or edits. In some cases, the USBC offers additional perspectives through the "USBC Insights," media and partner highlights, and the "News & Views" section. Inclusion of an item in the e-newsletter does not imply endorsement or support by the USBC of an item or organization, unless specifically noted.

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- 2026 NBCC: Hotel Booking Now Available
- USBC Submits Comment to OMB Regarding CBSD Survey
International News
- WHO 2030 Global Breastfeeding Targets Brief
National News
- NACCHO Initiative to Strengthen Local Health Department Breastfeeding Programs
- Expert White Paper on Critical Need for Exclusive Human Milk for Premature Infants
- 2025 Early Childhood State Policy Roadmap
Action Opportunities
Funding Opportunities
Upcoming Events
News & Views
Journal Publications

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

USBC Updates

2026 NBCC: Hotel Booking Now Available

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is excited to be hosting the 2026 National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening from Wednesday, June 3, through Friday, June 5, 2026, in Bethesda, Maryland. We are pleased to announce that we will be returning to the Hyatt Regency Bethesda. Reserve your room today for June 3-5, 2026, to access the group rate of $235 (plus tax) per night. Stay updated on the latest NBCC information on our conference webpage.

USBC Submits Comment to OMB Regarding CBSD Survey

The Department of Defense submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval to conduct a survey to evaluate the Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration (CBSD). The CBSD is a 5-year project mandated by Congress in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act requiring TRICARE to cover the services of certain perinatal care providers, including certified lactation consultants and certified lactation counselors. The USBC submitted a comment to OMB urging that approval be granted for the CBSD survey, highlighting the need for robust data collection, including gathering information about whether limiting TRICARE coverage to only certified providers achieves the best possible outcomes for military families.

International News

WHO 2030 Global Breastfeeding Targets Brief

The World Health Organization released a policy brief, "Global Nutrition Targets 2030: Breastfeeding Brief." World Health Organization’s (WHO) Member States set a target to increase the percentage of infants under six months who are exclusively breastfed to 60% by 2030. The purpose of this brief is to highlight the interventions and policies needed to achieve the 60% target by 2030.

National News

NACCHO Initiative to Strengthen Local Health Department Breastfeeding Programs

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is accepting applications for the "Strengthening Breastfeeding Initiatives Community of Practice (CoP) for Local Health Departments (LHDs)." NACCHO will support the advancement of breastfeeding initiatives at LHDs by providing technical assistance, resources, and access to national experts. Through the CoP, LHD representatives will share best practices, discuss community contexts, innovative solutions, and goals for improving breastfeeding support across the United States. Learn about eligibility, participant expectations, and application instructions here. Applications are due by Monday, November 24.

Expert White Paper on Critical Need for Exclusive Human Milk for Premature Infants

The National Coalition for Infant Health (NCfIH) released "Addressing the Critical Need for an Exclusive Human Milk Diet for Premature Infants: A Clinical Proceedings White Paper." In the first-of-its-kind white paper, NCfIH convened an expert panel to review the critical need for an exclusive human milk diet for preterm infants. The Clinical Proceedings outlines the challenges faced by premature infants, the benefits of an exclusive human milk diet, and barriers to access. NCfIH will be hosting a webinar, "Addressing the Critical Need for an Exclusive Human Milk Diet for Premature Infants," on Monday, November 10, to discuss the key information outlined in the White Paper.

2025 Early Childhood State Policy Roadmap

The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center released the "2025 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap." This annual resource provides an overview of the past year's research on early childhood policy, assesses the well-being of each state's infants and toddlers, identifies evidence-based policy solutions, monitors states' adoption and implementation, and tracks the impact that policy changes have on improving the well-being of children, families, and communities of color. The roadmap identifies paid leave programs as one of the effective policies for state implementation, assessing state progress on this policy area.