September 2025

Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities

for a more breastfeeding, chestfeeding, & human milk feeding,

family-friendly community

Community Chronicle

September 2025

Across the country, communities are grappling with the same challenges: workforce gaps, Medicaid coverage barriers, and the urgent need for equity. As President of Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities, I want to lift up what National Breastfeeding Month, specifically what Black Breastfeeding Week teaches us about local resilience and national systems change.

This year’s theme for Black Breastfeeding Week was—“Boots on the Ground: Rooted in Breastfeeding Success, Grounded in Community Support”—celebrating the doulas, peer counselors, lactation consultants, and community health workers whose hands-on support makes breastfeeding possible.

But a new Health Management Associates (HMA) report on Medicaid Coverage of Breastfeeding Support and Supplies reminds us that the system is far from equitable. Medicaid finances more than 40 percent of U.S. births, yet lactation services remain inconsistent, underfunded, and fragmented. Families face restrictive benefit designs, limited provider recognition, and long waits for pumps. As one provider put it: “If somebody is pregnant, and they say they want a pump, they should get it.”

The barriers are clear, but so are the solutions. The HMA report points to expanding provider eligibility, streamlining billing, and diversifying the workforce as essential steps forward. Our own community leaders echo this call. Stephanie Amekuedi of Nourish and Thrive reminds us: “None of it works if we don’t use our voices… our silence leaves families without options.”

The truth is this: breastfeeding is one of the few interventions proven to close racial health disparities. It saves lives. It saves families money. And, it saves health systems billions of dollars.

As we near the end of National Breastfeeding Month, I ask you to act: share the HMA report widely, with policymakers, funders, and health leaders in your state. Frame lactation not as an optional benefit, but as an equity imperative and a cost-saving measure.

Together, as a national community, we can ensure that “boots on the ground” are not left standing alone—systems must stand beside them.

With gratitude and determination,
Love Anderson
President & CEO | Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities

In a recent report, HMA provides a comprehensive landscape analysis of Medicaid breastfeeding services in six states, focusing on lactation support and breast pump access. The findings reveal ongoing challenges and successful strategies, with recommendations aimed at advancing equitable care for all families.

As we recently celebrated Black Breastfeeding Week, the analysis is particularly timely—spotlighting the critical need to address disparities faced by Black families in accessing quality breastfeeding support. By strengthening Medicaid’s role in supporting breastfeeding, stakeholders have an opportunity to uplift maternal and infant health in Black communities, promote health equity, and celebrate the significance of Black Breastfeeding Week as a movement for positive change.

We are growing as an organization! Please welcome the following new breastfeeding family friendly communities: 

• Tuskegee, Alabama
• Alleghany County, North Carolina
• Northeast North Carolina: Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Gates, Hertford, Pasquotank, and Perquimans

This summer, we had three wonderful practicum students from UNC Chapel Hill develop tools that can be of support to your communities. Checkout their blog posts to learn more!

• A Student’s Journey Supporting Step 6 in Durham, NC
• A Student’s Journey to Supporting the Ten Steps through Policy Toolkit in Durham, NC
• From Cuties to Curriculum: Culturally Responsive Lactation and Perinatal Support

We’re excited to share that we launched a new 11-month virtual training series, “Nourishing Resilience: SAFE Infant Feeding in Crisis.” Sessions will continue on the second Tuesday of each month at 1 PM, running through July 2026.

This series is a grant-funded educational opportunity for healthcare providers, lactation and childbirth professionals, first responders, community health workers, volunteers, and anyone invested in emergency preparedness for infants and young children.

You asked if we were planning to offer virtual sessions—here’s your answer. This series is entirely virtual, highly interactive, and designed to give you the tools, frameworks, and confidence to support feeding during emergencies in your own communities.

Despite legal protections, North Carolina public school teachers, staff, students, and authorized visitors continue to face barriers to breastfeeding and pumping due to insufficient break times, lack of designated lactation spaces, and workplace stigma.

This proposal calls for a statewide Lactation Accommodation Policy that builds upon the existing successes of five Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Partner local school districts: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, Richmond County Schools, Public Schools of Robeson County, and Montgomery County Schools. Additionally, Durham County Public Schools has issued a proclamation in support of lactating teachers and students, further demonstrating the need for statewide policy expansion.

Key Policy Recommendations:

• Protected lactation breaks during the school day for teachers, staff, and students.
• A reasonable length (15-30 minutes every 3-4 hours) as a guideline for lactating individuals.
• Accessible sanitary lactation spaces that are secure and reserved for lactating in every public school.
• Protection from discrimination and job retaliation.
• Compliance and enforcement measures for statewide accountability.

By adopting this policy, the North Carolina Department of Education can ensure that every public school provides safe, equitable lactation accommodations that align with federal law, state best practices, and proven local models.

Read more about the proposal here.

Join us later this month at Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities (BFFC) for a collaborative meeting with community leaders from across the country, all working to implement the BFFC designation in their respective cities and towns. This session is exclusively tailored for those spearheading the designation process, offering a platform to exchange ideas, learn from peers, and draw inspiration. With a focus on intimate and productive discussions, we anticipate a relatively small group, ensuring each leader gets ample opportunity to share and connect. This is also a perfect chance to liaise with the BFFC team for additional guidance and support.

Sep 24, 2025 02:00 PM

Oct 22, 2025 02:00 PM

Jan 28, 2026 02:00 PM

Mar 25, 2026 02:00 PM

Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities is a community-wide program to impact Health Equity by advocating for policies and practices that support optimal infant feeding. Any municipality or incorporated region may complete the Ten Steps self-appraisal. Work begins when two or more community members come together to lead the community in satisfying the requirements of the Ten Steps to a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community.

Is your community interested in beginning the designation process to becoming a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community? Contact us for resources to help your community get started on the journey. Take the first step and fill out our interest form.