Monroe County Lactation

12/20/2025

Research shows: When you receive the right breastfeeding support right after your baby is born, you’re more likely to still be meeting your breastfeeding goals when your baby turns 6 months.

At Baby-Friendly designated birth facilities, staff have extra breastfeeding training to help you and your baby get a great start—so you can keep going strong.

Don’t leave your support to chance. ➡️

📍 Find a Baby-Friendly facility near you: https://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/for-parents/find-a-baby-friendly-facility/

12/11/2025

Yes the balance every child needs from infancy to adulthood…

Some dads just have that “let’s play!” energy.
They’re the wild ones, the tickle monsters, the human jungle gym.
Kids run to them for the giggles, the chaos, the adventures that turn the whole house into a playground.

And then there’s moms…
We’re the safe place.
The soft landing.
The arms they melt into when their world feels a little too big or a little too loud.
Kids run to us for the calm, the comfort, the steady heartbeat that tells them everything is okay.

It’s not that one is better than the other it’s that together, it just works.
The fun and the comfort.
The wild and the gentle.
The balance every child needs to feel loved, grounded, and completely understood.

11/17/2025

Human milk is the only biologically active food on the planet.
It contains living cells, stem cells, immunoglobulins, lysozymes, lactoferrin, HMOs, hormones, cytokines, enzymes, microRNA, antimicrobials, antivirals, and over 1,000 molecular components that scientists are still discovering.

Every single feed triggers a biochemical feedback loop:
your baby’s saliva signals your mammary glands, your glands adjust the concentration of antibodies, and the composition of your milk shifts within minutes to meet that exact need.

Breast milk is not “liquid gold” because it’s cute it’s liquid gold because it is a dynamic, species-specific, immunologically active substance engineered by human evolution to protect human infants.

The more we study it, the clearer it becomes:
breast milk isn’t just nutrition it’s a living system.
A biological masterpiece that no lab has ever been able to duplicate.

11/13/2025

A lower risk of breast cancer has long been recognized among the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers. Now, researchers are closer to understanding why.

A new study found that:
✅ Having babies and breastfeeding causes CD8+ T cells—a special type of immune cell—to accumulate in normal breast tissue.
✅ These protective cells remain in the tissue for decades after childbirth.
✅ They act as long-term guards, helping prevent breast cancer—especially the aggressive triple-negative type.
✅ However, this protective T-cell response was observed ONLY after a full cycle of lactation and breast recovery.

Lifelong health benefits for babies AND mothers—that’s why BFUSA partners with facilities to support every family in meeting their breastfeeding goals.🤱🏽

11/08/2025

Looking into your delivering hospital and what they offer sets the stage for a favorable birth story.

This Holiday weekend, lactation professionals from all across our state will be traveling to the Annual BEST at the Beach Conference which will take place November 9-10. One of our main conference focuses is the MPinc Score (both the National and State). Here’s some fun information for you!

🤱 What is the mPINC score — and why does it matter?

mPINC stands for Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care.
It’s a nationwide survey from the CDC that measures how well hospitals support breastfeeding and safe infant feeding.

Hospitals are scored from 0–100 based on practices like:

✨ Skin-to-skin care right after birth
✨ Rooming-in (keeping baby with parents 24/7)
✨ Lactation support and follow-up
✨ Avoiding formula unless medically necessary
✨ Staff training and breastfeeding-friendly policies

The most recent national average score in the U.S. is 82/100 and the Alabama Score is 76/100.

Higher mPINC scores = better hospital practices = stronger breastfeeding success.

Here’s why it matters:

When hospitals support breastfeeding, families are more likely to meet their feeding goals.

This data empowers communities, breastfeeding advocates, and hospitals to work together to improve care for moms and babies.

Strong maternity care practices don’t just happen —
they happen on purpose. 💙

11/06/2025

11/02/2025

Breastfeeding has been linked to a lower risk of breast and ovarian cancer. It reduces lifetime exposure to estrogen, delays ovulation, and promotes healthy breast cell differentiation, all factors that work together to help protect against cancer. The longer a parent breastfeeds, the greater the protective effect.

[Image Description] A photo of an infant nursing in a mother's arm. Text reads, "Breastfeeding is linked to a decreased risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer." The La Leche League USA logo sits below the text.

10/29/2025

10/29/2025

Your breastmilk is basically magic...

It changes every single feed - even every sip — to give your baby exactly what they need.
Inside every drop you'll find:

💧 Water - about 87% for hydration
💪 Proteins - for growth & immune support
🧠 Fats - for energy, brain & eye development
🤱 Carbs - for energy, gut health & calcium absorption
Vitamins & Minerals - for growth & health
💛 Antibodies — to fight infection
🌟 Hormones & Growth Factors - to aid development & bonding

No two mamas' milk is the same — it's made just for your baby.

10/25/2025

The 2025 Cochrane review on immediate and early skin-to-skin contact after birth highlights that further randomized controlled trials comparing skin-to-skin contact with ‘usual care’ are no longer ethical.

The findings show there is now enough evidence to make immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth the global standard of care, and as WHO already recommends skin-to-skin the standard of care, the authors argue that randomizing the separation of mother and newborn may no longer be justifiable.

Read more:
https://centerforbreastfeeding.org/cochrane-review-2025

10/13/2025

Hope for fussy, gassy, and colicky babies. For parents of newborns, feeding and tummy troubles can be worrying, especially when the reason isn’t clear. What many don’t realize is that these difficulties might be due to an undiagnosed tongue-tie or lip-tie. If your baby shows any of these symptom...