Links to websites of groups that study or provide information about breastfeeding and breast milk.
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
The AAP is an organization of pediatricians committed to the health and well-being of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Visit the breastfeeding initiatives website information for families . - Break Time for Nursing Mothers
This webpage by the U.S. Department of Labor provides information about national laws that require employers to provide a reasonable break time and location for an employee to express milk. - Breastfeeding and Formula
FamilyDoctor.org provides health information for families about breastfeeding. - Breastfeeding State Laws
The National Conference of State Legislatures provides information on breastfeeding laws specific to each U.S. state, including employer requirements for each state for providing adequate time and a location for an employee to express milk. - Breastfeeding Promotion and Support in WIC
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women and to infants and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Breastfeeding
The CDC's site provides information and links to resources on breastfeeding, including the CDC Breastfeeding Report Card. - Find a Lactation Consultant
The International Lactation Consultant Association helps women who are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed find a lactation consultant. - Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Read more about medication safety during pregnancy at the FDA Medicine and Pregnancy page. You can also sign up to take part in one of the FDA's Pregnancy Registries to help scientists and health care providers learn more about medication safety during pregnancy. - FAQ: Breastfeeding Your Baby (PDF 65.3 KB)
This publication from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists provides answers to commonly asked questions about breastfeeding. - HealthyChildren.org: Breastfeeding
HealthyChildren.org's breastfeeding section provides links to a wide range of information for parents about breastfeeding their infant. - Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA)
HMBANA is a professional association of milk banks in the U.S. and Canada. The association provides information on milk banking and how to contact a milk bank to donate milk or to order donor human milk. Locate a milk bank . - La Leche League International
- Read ongoing discussions .
- Find local help:https://www.llli.org/get-help/
- Breastfeeding help: https://www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/
- The league aims to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of infants and mothers by providing mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education. Information is available in many languages.
- Medline Plus: Breastfeeding
This page from the National Library of Medicine provides general health information and website resources on breastfeeding. - Nutrition During Lactation
This resource from the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides links to resources on breastfeeding and the nutritional requirements of infants. - Office on Women's Health (OWH)
OWH sponsors the National Breastfeeding Helpline. Call 800-994-9662 to speak with trained breastfeeding peer counselors who can help answer common breastfeeding questions in English or Spanish. In addition, OWH offers the following resources on breastfeeding:- A–Z Health Topics: Breastfeeding
- Finding Breastfeeding Support and Information
- Your Guide to Breastfeeding (PDF 2.2 MB) (available in English, Spanish, and Chinese; editions for African American women and for American Indian and Alaska Native women also available)
- It's Only Natural provides information for African American women and their families on the benefits of breastfeeding.
Please note: Links to organizations and information included on this page do not indicate endorsement from NICHD, NIH, or HHS.
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM)
The ABM is an international organization of physicians who promote, protect, and support breastfeeding and human lactation. The academy publishes the journal Breastfeeding Medicine, maintains a calendar of events, and issues protocols and statements. Read the ABM's position statement on breastfeeding . - American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
The AAP is a membership organization of 60,000 pediatricians. The AAP issues policy statements, clinical reports, technical reports, and practice guidelines on a broad range of topics.
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists(ACOG) .
ACOG is a nonprofit organization of women's health care physicians advocating women's health issues. - Breastmilk Ecology Genesis of Infant Nutrition (BEGIN) Project
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Read more about medication safety during pregnancy at the FDA Medicine and Pregnancy page. The FDA's Pregnancy Registries aim to help scientists and health care providers learn more about medication safety during pregnancy. - Healthy People 2020
As a part of the Healthy People 2020 initiative, the national goal is to increase the proportion of mothers who breastfeed their babies in the early postpartum period to more than 80 percent by the year 2020. Read about specific goals. - National Library of Medicine Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET)
TOXNET maintains the Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®), a peer-reviewed, referenced resource database of drugs that breastfeeding mothers may have encountered. - Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding
This 2011 document describes specific steps people can take to participate in a society-wide approach to support mothers and babies who are breastfeeding. - U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
In 2016, the USPSTF issued updated recommendations regarding interventions during pregnancy and after birth to promote and support breastfeeding. Read the recommendations . - U.S. Breastfeeding Committee
The committee is an independent, nonprofit coalition of more than 40 nationally influential professional, educational, and governmental organizations that work collaboratively to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. The committee maintains information about organizations that offer breastfeeding training and education. It also has issued position statements on obesity prevention, feeding in emergencies, and workplace accommodations. - Guide for Establishing a Federal Nursing Mother's Program (PDF 1 MB)
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management released this guide in January 2013 as a response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which revised the Fair Labor Standards Act to require that employers provide time and space for breastfeeding mothers. - Infant Feeding During Disasters
This page from the Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response outlines barriers to and benefits of breastfeeding during a disaster and how responders can help. - The CDC Guide to Strategies to Support Breastfeeding Mothers and Babies
This guide provides information to help state and local community members support breastfeeding mothers and babies.
Specific Documents of Interest
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Breastfeeding and Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes in Developed Countries, April 2007 (PDF 3.5 MB)
- HHS Office on Women's Health (OWH) Government in Action on Breastfeeding
- World Health Organization. Long-Term Effects of Breastfeeding. A Systematic Review (PDF 1.2 MB)
Please note: Links to organizations and information included on this page do not indicate endorsement from NICHD, NIH, or HHS
LactMed® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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