Increased funding for peer counseling in the
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) breastfeeding
program.
Increased funding for the breastfeeding programs
of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention to ensure continued federal emphasis
on breastfeeding.
Expansion of insurance coverage for the services
of lactation specialists and breastfeeding
supplies, including scale rental for infants
requiring close monitoring (pre- and postfeeding
weights during the post-discharge
period) in private and public health insurance
plans; insurance coverage for breast pumps
should not be limited to hand pumps but instead
should be based on the clinical needs
of the woman and her infant(s). For example,
some women will need hospital grade pumps
post-discharge; these should be covered by
insurance.
Legislation and policies that mandate employers
to facilitate lactation in the workplace,
including breaks for breastfeeding women
and access to a private area for breastfeeding
or milk expression that is not a bathroom.
Enhanced family medical leave policies that
provide women with paid maternity leave in
order to fully establish and maintain exclusive
breastfeeding for at least the first six
months of their infants’ lives. Such policy
changes could include support for flexible
work schedules during the latter six months of
the first year of an infant’s life when a woman
is breastfeeding.
Increased funding for breastfeeding research
and the National Institutes of Health and other
research institutions.
Clarification of the International Code of Marketing
of Breast-milk Substitutes regarding
marketing recommendations for artificial nipples
and bottles, particularly for countries
where women do not have adequate economic
support or maternal leave policies.
Increased funding for nurse home visiting
programs that help women maintain breastfeeding
after hospital discharge.
Insurance coverage in public and private
markets for donor milk in NICU populations