Policy:  The Palm Beach County Health Department will promote, protect and support breastfeeding as the preferred method of infant feeding in accordance with established guidelines.

Services

• The Health Department will coordinate services so that clients receive breastfeeding assessment/education/counseling based on documented information from their Breastfeeding Resource List during pregnancy and after birth.
  
  

• All women attending Maternal/Child Health clinics will be routinely and regularly informed about the benefits and management of breastfeeding, beginning at the first prenatal visit throughout the care period.
  
  

Information given to clients will address: 

1. The psychosocial and health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother  and baby:

• Human milk is species-specific nourishment for the baby, produces optimum growth and development, provides substantial protection from illness, lactation is beneficial to mother’s health and breastfeeding biologically supports a special mother/baby relationship.
  

• Mother is HIV positive, and/or a substance abuser.

2. Exceptions:

• Mother is HIV positive, and/or a substance abuser.
  

3. Barriers to breastfeeding:

• Lack of knowledge about subject, fear of embarrassment, concerns about dietary and health requirements, lack of support, fear of being “tied down”

4. The financial implications of infant formula.

5. The difficulty of reversing the decision not to be breastfeed.

6. Breastfeeding initiation and building good milk supply.

• Nurse within the first hour after birth, nurse 8-12 times per hour, watch baby for signs of nutritional gratification, all suckling should be at the breast, position the baby so breastfeeding is comfortable and milk transfer is maximized, watch baby’s urine and stool output for assurance of supply.
  

7. Clients with problems will be referred immediately to a clinic Breastfeeding Specialist who will coordinate care with the provider.

• Each health department site will designate trained Breastfeeding Specialists to whom clients with breastfeeding problems are referred. It is recommended that reps. From Pediatrics, Maternity, WIC, Healthy Start, in addition to Health Education, School Health, and Family Planning be designated and trained.
  

• To ensure continued breastfeeding, all Health Department staff prescribing necessary medications to breastfeeding women will endeavor to choose those recommended by the AAP as most compatible with breastfeeding. In addition all health Department breastfeeding women will be informed of and offered all viable an compatible options of family planning methods which are documented in the Health Department Recommended Breastfeeding Resource List (HDRBRL).

Breast feeding Promotion and Support