The HHS Office on Women’s Health (OWH) convened a technical assistance webinar, Breastfeeding Promotion Strategies for Engaging African American Families, in September 2023. Speakers were from the OWH, the WIC Program in the Food and Nutrition Services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE). The technical assistance provided targeted information and resources on three topic areas:

• Emerging topics impacting African American families and their breastfeeding goals;
• Strategies for utilizing breastfeeding resources to promote and support African American women and families; and
• Resources that promote or support breastfeeding for African American Families.
   

Breastfeeding Resources for African American Families

Updated December 2023

HHS Office on Women’s Health (OWH) Resources

https://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding

• It’s Only Natural: Mother’s Love. Mother’s Milk
  https://www.womenshealth.gov/its-only-natural 
   
• OWH Your Guide to Breastfeeding 
  https://www.womenshealth.gov/your-guide-to-breastfeeding 

Other Federal Resources

• Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC)
  https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/index.htm
   
• Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E) Toolkit
  www.cdc.gov/nutrition/emergencies-infant-feeding/downloads/pages/breastfeeding-during-emergencies-IYCF-E-H.pdf 
   
• Breastfeeding State Report Cards
  https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/reportcard.htm
   
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  LactMed (National Library of Medicine Drugs and Lactation Database)
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501922/
   
• Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
  HHS Maternal-Child Health Emergency Planning Toolkit 
  https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/abc/mch-planning-toolkit/Pages/default.aspx
   
• Administration for Children and Families
  https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsepr/fact-sheet/infant-feeding-during-disasters

Breastfeeding at Work

• U.S. Department of Labor 
  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/nursing-mothers
   
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Protections to Pump at Work
  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pump-at-work
   
• HHS Office on Women’s Health
   Supporting Nursing Moms at Work 
  https://www.womenshealth.gov/supporting-nursing-moms-work
   
• Business Case for Breastfeeding:  Employer Solutions
   https://www.womenshealth.gov/supporting-nursing-moms-work/resources

Breast Pumps 
Manual and/or electric breast pumps may be obtained from the following:

• Health insurance plans
   
• Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
  https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic
   
• Hospitals

Community Resources

• Contact your local department of health