Policies on Breastfeeding

Policies help inform practice. Below are policies from the AAP and other organizations on human milk feeding and lactation.

AAP Policies

• Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk and the supporting Technical Report were just released in 2022. These are two of the most accessed policies available from the AAP because of its importance for the health of families here in the US and throughout the world. The policy statement and technical report detail the benefits of breastfeeding, its true contraindications and those that are not, the challenge of breastfeeding in the US, recommendations for breastfeeding for healthy as well as high risk infants, and the role pediatricians play in protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding.
• Infant Feeding for Persons Living With and at Risk for HIV in the United States: Clinical Report, 2024
  A clinical report providing guidance to pediatric healthcare professionals regarding breastfeeding for persons living with HIV in the US.
• Identification and Management of Ankyloglossia and Its Effect on Breastfeeding in Infants: Clinical Report, 2024
  Ankyloglossia refers to a congenitally tight lingual frenulum that limits the motion of the tongue. Whether the release of a tight lingual frenulum in neonates improves breastfeeding is not clear. Because many of the symptoms of ankyloglossia overlap those of other breastfeeding difficulties, a team partnership is necessary.
• Promoting Human Milk and Breastfeeding for the Very Low Birth Weight Infant, 2021
  A clinical report outlining the importance of human milk for the very low birth weight infant.
• Clinical Practice Guideline Revision: Management of Hyperbilirubinemia in the Newborn Infant 35 or More Weeks of Gestation, 2022
  A clinical guideline on the management of hyperbilirubinemia in the term infant.
• The Breastfeeding-Friendly Pediatric Office Practice, 2017
  A clinical report detailing how the pediatric office setting can be set up to facilitate ongoing breastfeeding support.
• Donor Human Milk for the High-Risk Infant: Preparation, Safety, and Usage Options in the United States, 2017
  A policy statement outlining safe approaches to dispensing donor human milk.
• The Transfer of Drugs and Therapeutics Into Human Breast Milk: An Update on Selected Topics, AAP Clinical Report, 2013
  This clinical report discusses several topics of interest surrounding lactation, such as the use of psychotropic therapies, drugs to treat substance abuse, narcotics, galactagogues, and herbal products.
• Optimizing Bone Health in Children and Adolescents
  A clinical report regarding the need for vitamin D in supporting bone health.

Policies from Other Organizations

• Clinical Protocols, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine 
  Breastfeeding protocols, for the care of breastfeeding mothers and infants. 
• Breastfeeding and Lactation for Medical Trainees, American Academy of Family Physicians 
  A policy supporting breastfeeding and lactation accommodations for medical trainees, which can serve as a model policy for other medical organizations and/or medical institutions.
• ACOG Clinical Guidelines on Breastfeeding
  A number of committee opinion reports and resources authored or developed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) & United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) The Physician’s Role in Human Milk Feeding 
  This resource is to help physicians understand the different support personnel available to aid in supporting breastfeeding in a convenient table “Breastfeeding Medicine Specialists"
• Breastfeeding Policy Statement, American Academy of Family Physicians 
  A short statement identifying the American Academy of Family Physicians' stance on breastfeeding.
• Breastfeeding Position Paper, American Academy of Family Physicians 
  A paper explaining the American Academy of Family Physicians' stance on breastfeeding.
• The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding 
  This Call to Action describes specific steps people can take to participate in a society-wide approach to support mothers and babies who are breastfeeding.
• The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, Baby-Friendly USA 
  Baby-Friendly® hospitals and birthing facilities must adhere to the Ten Steps to receive, and retain, a Baby-Friendly designation.