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Breastfeeding for Staff
Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (BFPC)
Peer Policies
- Policy 12.01 Peer Counselor Orientation
- Policy 12.02 Peer After-Hours Availability
Peer Job Descriptions:
- USDA Loving Support Peer Counselor Job Description
- Michigan WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor position description and examples of work.
New BFPC Orientation:
- Prior to providing services to clients, a new PC needs to complete a local agency orientation with their Peer Counselor Manager. After that is completed, contact your Regional Lactation Consultants (LC) and they will complete the breastfeeding-specific orientation using the Checklist for Orientation with Regional Lactation Consultant to make sure all training topics are covered.
- Career Ladder Opportunities: Options will vary depending upon local agency administrative funding and support
Senior Breastfeeding Peer Counselor
- Senior Breastfeeding Peer Counselor position description and examples of work
- Register and find resources for Senior Peer Counselor Training
- This course must be approved by the WIC Coordinator and fit into the staffing requirements of your local agency.
International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
- Lactation Consultant position description and examples of work
- Local Agency IBCLC Orientation
- Contract Requirements for Subcontracted IBCLC
- IBCLC Recertification Help
- Level 3 & 4 Breastfeeding Staff Directory
Peer Counselor Four Required Annual Trainings
- Michigan WIC Training & Educational Conference A two-day conference in April or May for all WIC staff
- Statewide Breastfeeding Peer Update A one-day conference in August or September for all Peer Counselors as well as Peer Managers and Breastfeeding Coordinators
- Regional Peer Counselor Training A one-day regional training in October or November for Peer Counselors only that is facilitated by the Regional Lactation Consultants.
- Winter Breastfeeding Education Webinar. Watch for the assigned webinar in Breastfeeding Connections Newsletter (see below) or ask your manager.
Michigan WIC Conferences and Trainings
- MPHI WIC Breastfeeding and Peer Counselor Trainings
- MPHI WIC Training and Events calendar
- MPHI archived WIC webcasts
Breastfeeding Connections Newsletters
Breastfeeding Connections will no longer be posted online. If you need access, please email Marji Cyrul at CyrulM@michigan.gov.
Breastfeeding Webinars, Conferences, and Trainings:
- Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association - Yearly conferences and trainings.
- Breastfeeding Grand Rounds (BFGR) - Trainings and webinars.
- BreastfeedingLA - Trainings and webinars.
- Center for Health Equity, Education and Research - Conferences, trainings and webinars.
- Coffective - Michigan WIC trainings, tools and handouts
- Gold Learning - Conferences and webinars.
- Gold Lactation - On-Line Conference.
- Healthy Children's Project, Inc. - Conferences, Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) and other trainings.
- iLactation - Conferences and webinars.
- Michigan Breastfeeding Network DEI Resources
- Institute for the Advancement of Breastfeeding and Lactation Education (IABLE) - Trainings and free podcasts.
- International Lactation Consultants Association (ILCA) - Conferences and webinars.
- Lactation Education Resources (LER) - Certified Lactation Specialist (CLS) and other trainings.
- Michigan Association of Lactation Consultants (MALC) - Annual Fall conference.
- Michigan Breastfeeding Network - Great Lakes Breastfeeding Webinars - Webinars and regional quarterly meetings.
- National WIC Association - Trainings and webinars.
- Praeclarus Press - Webinars.
- Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere - Conferences and trainings.
- Stanford Medicine Newborn Nursery - Trainings and free videos.
- The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor - Clinical and Communication Lactation Specialist (CCLS) course and other trainings.
- United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) - Conferences and webinars.
- United States Lactation Consultants Association (USLCA) - Conferences, regional workshops and webinars.
- University of California (UC) Davis Human Lactation Center - Conferences and webinars.
Circle of Care: Roles, Scope of Practice and Referrals
Donor Milk for Mothers Living With HIV
Food Packages
Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Tools & Resources
MI-WIC
Milk Sharing Information
- The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Issues Guidance on Informal Milk Sharing
- Possible places to receive milk:
- Where to donate breast milk in Michigan
- Bronson Mother's Milk Bank
- Coming Soon: Henry Ford Allegiance Health
Peer Tools & Resources
- Anticipatory Guidance Topics and Timing
- Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Directory
- Level 2 Counseling Videos, Handouts and Post-Tests
- Job Shadowing PC Log
- PC Intake Form
- Scope of Practice for BFPC (from USDA)
- When to Yield to a CLS or IBCLC
- Loving Support PC Handbook (2012)
Pumps & Milk Expression Tools
- Prior to issuing pumps to clients, all staff must be trained by their local agency Breastfeeding Coordinator (BFC) on how to assemble, fit and clean breast pumps and educate clients on pumping and hand expression. BFCs learn these skills at Milk Expression training.
- To order breast pumps or if you have questions about breast pumps, please email MDHHS-WICBreastfeeding@michigan.gov.
- Devices
- Pump Compliance Documents
- Client Education on Pumps and Devices
- Breast Pump Descriptions
- How to Use and Troubleshoot Your WIC Breast Pump
- Howto Fit Breast Pump Flanges from IABLE
- Breast Milk Storage Guidelines from the CDC
- Hand expression from Dr. Jane Morton, Stanford Medicine
- Back to work from WIC Breastfeeding Support website
Relactation
- Relactation Guidance Document
- USDA's WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum Problem Solving: Complex Maternal Problems
- Maine WIC's Relactation in Postpartum Birthing Parents Webinar
Materials through E-forms
- Michigan WIC Client Resource List Only one person from each local agency is authorized to place orders to reduce duplicate orders.
Printable Resources (free)
- Breastfeeding Your Newborn Baby by Nutrition Matters available in English, Spanish, & Arabic. Ask your local agency breastfeeding coordinator for the password.
- Why WIC for Breastfeeding Families flyer
- Ready, Set, BABY! English Español اﻟﻌﺮﺒﻴﺔ
- Coffective
- USDA WIC Breastfeeding Support Printable Resources
Websites
- Physician Guide to Breastfeeding: Evidenced-based breastfeeding guidance for families.
- Stanford Medicine: Getting Started With Breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding in the First Hour English Spanish
- Maximizing Milk Production with Hands-On Pumping
- A Perfect Latch
- Hand Expression
- Kelly Mom: Trusted, basic information
- HUG Your Baby Parent Resources, Printable Postcards and Flier
- CDC Breastfeeding
- Office of Women's Health: Breastfeeding
- Milk Mob: Paced Bottle Feeding
- Healthy Families Video: Baby Feeding Cues and Behaviors
- Healthy Families: Getting Started and Feeding Cues
- Infant Risk Center: Information on Medications and Breastfeeding. Can also call (806) 352-2519, 8AM-5PM Central Standard Time
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM): Milk Sharing Guidance
- Other Helpful Parenting Websites
- Preconception Health
- CDC's Child Passenger Safety (Car seat): English Español
Infant Feeding Classes
- Ideas for classes and material
Support Groups
- Michigan Breastfeeding Coalitions and Support Groups
- CORE Cohort Black and Indigenous Birth and Breastfeeding Supporters Directory for Michigan Families
Apps
- Breastfeeding Solutions: An Interactive Guide to Solve Common Breastfeeding Problems
- Mother's Milk and Medications
- InfantRisk Center
- MommyMeds
- Hale's Meds
- Coffective
- Breastfeeding Management 2
- WIC Connect
Staff Recognition
- 2020 Michigan WIC PC Counselor 10-Year Anniversary Video
- 2022 Michigan WIC 10 Year Peer Recognition Video
- Breastfeeding Awards of Excellence
Breastfeeding Photos
- Wichealth.org photos of WIC Families
- Log onto your wichealth.org staff account > Resources > “Staff Training and Resources” category > search “photos” > complete the Photography License Agreement
- Don’t have a staff account? Email help@wichealth.org.
- USBC Landscape of Breastfeeding Support Image Gallery
- WIC Works Image Gallery
- Breastfeeding State Plan Cover
- Photo Consent Form
- For photos of Michigan WIC clients and staff to use in your clinics, please contact Marji at CyrulM@michigan.gov
National Breastfeeding Month
- 2024 "WIC Supports Superheroes"
- Designs that can be used on social media, flyers, or promotional materials.
- On Demand & Warmline Texts
- National WIC Breastfeeding Proclamation
- State of Michigan Breastfeeding Month Proclamation
- MDHHS Press Release
- August 1-7: World Breastfeeding Week Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All
- August 1-7: National WIC Breastfeeding Week (USDA WIC Works)
- August 8-14: Indigenous Milk Medicine Week Mind. Body. Milk Medicine.
- August 15-21: Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week (Bridging the Gaps for AANIPI Families)
- August 25-31: Black Breastfeeding Week Listen Up! Reclaiming Our Narrative & Centering Our Stories for Breastfeeding Justice
- September 1-7: Workplace Lactation Week Policy to Practice: Making Lactation Support a Reality
- September 3-9: Latina/x Breastfeeding Week Reclaiming Culture Through Lactation
- 2023 “Into Every Drop”
- Bulletin Board Kits available in English, Spanish or Arabic
- Vinyl Outdoor Banners available in English, Spanish or Arabic
- Yard Signs available in English, Spanish or Arabic
- Individual Logos (Can be used on social media, flyers or promotional materials)
- Social Media Templates
- MDHHS Press Release
Research
- Balogun, O. O., O'Sullivan, E. J., McFadden, A., Ota, E., Gavine, A., Garner, C. D., ... & MacGillivray, S. (2016). Interventions for promoting the initiation of breastfeeding. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (11).
- This article shows the use of Law and Policy to Promote Breastfeeding in the United States.
- Bartick, M. C., Schwarz, E. B., Green, B. D., Jegier, B. J., Reinhold, A. G., Colaizy, T. T., ... & Stuebe, A. M. (2017). Suboptimal breastfeeding in the United States: Maternal and pediatric health outcomes and costs. Maternal & child nutrition, 13(1), e12366.
- Bartick, M. C., Jegier, B. J., Green, B. D., Schwarz, E. B., Reinhold, A. G., & Stuebe, A. M. (2017). Disparities in breastfeeding: impact on maternal and child health outcomes and costs. The Journal of Pediatrics, 181, 49-55.
- Beauregard, J. L., Hamner, H. C., Chen, J., Avila-Rodriguez, W., Elam-Evans, L. D., & Perrine, C. G. (2019). Racial Disparities in breastfeeding initiation and duration among US infants born in 2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68(34), 745.
- Feltner, C., Weber, R. P., Stuebe, A., Grodensky, C. A., Orr, C., & Viswanathan, M. (2018). Breastfeeding programs and policies, breastfeeding uptake, and maternal health outcomes in developed countries.
- This article summarizes the effectiveness of community, workplace, and health care system-based programs and policies aimed at supporting and promoting breastfeeding and determines the association between breastfeeding and maternal health.
- Li, R., Ware, J., Chen, A., Nelson, J. M., Kmet, J. M., Parks, S. E., ... & Perrine, C. G. (2022). Breastfeeding and Post-perinatal Infant Deaths in the United States, A National Prospective Cohort Analysis. The Lancet Regional Health-Americas, 5, 100094.
- This article concluded that breastfeeding initiation is significantly associated with reduced odds (26% reduction) of post-perinatal infant deaths in multiple racial and ethnic groups within the U.S. population.
- Walters, D. D., Phan, L. T., & Mathisen, R. (2019). The cost of not breastfeeding: global results from a new tool. Health policy and planning, 34(6), 407-417.
Policy and Issue Statements
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Policy Statement on Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk (July 2022)
- American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Policy Statement on Breastfeeding (2017)
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) "The Physician's Role in Human Milk Feeding" (2020)
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) Protocols
- Breastfeeding & Lead Exposure: Issue Statement and Recommendations (January 2016)
- Breastfeeding State Plan
- Infant Feeding for Individuals with HIV in the United States (Jan. 31, 2023)
- PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act
- USBC Federal Policies, Programs, & Initiatives
- UNICEF global breastfeeding perspective (2018)
Advocacy
- The Cost of Not Breastfeeding Tool
- Michigan Breastfeeding Network (MIBFN)
- Breastfeeding State Laws
- WIC Breastfeeding Supporters of Color Network
- Mother Infant Health & Equity Improvement Plan
- MDHHS Michigan Breastfeeding Plan
- BMBFA Black Mother's Breastfeeding Association
- Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan