Great Lakes Wire

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan is reinforcing its commitment to public health by supporting breastfeeding and chestfeeding as a lifestyle choice and a health recommendation. As part of this initiative, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared August 2024 as Breastfeeding Month.

“Michigan is committed to helping breastfeeding parents reach their goals through community-based support such as doulas and lactation consultants and peer counselors to help diversify support and increase breastfeeding rates in local communities across the state,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive. “Breastfeeding can be beneficial to both babies and parents and protect babies against allergies, sickness, and diseases like diabetes and certain cancers. We recognize that not all parents are able to breastfeed, and in those cases we offer resources to ensure that the nutritional needs of infants are met, and that parents feel supported.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding or chestfeeding up to age two years and beyond. Breastmilk provides numerous benefits for infants, including reducing the risk of respiratory infections, ear infections, gastrointestinal tract infections, necrotizing enterocolitis, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma, atopic dermatitis, eczema, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and leukemia. For the lactating parent, it reduces the incidence of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, postpartum depression, and cardiovascular disease—conditions that disproportionately impact Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.

Although 90% of Michigan families start breastfeeding or chestfeeding, disparities exist between white non-Hispanic initiation (91.3%) and Black non-Hispanic initiation (81.6%), highlighting barriers impacting families of color. Factors such as lack of support within the healthcare system, access to high-quality affordable childcare, and paid work leave benefits reduce the number of people who start or continue breastfeeding their infants.

Michigan is addressing these barriers through several initiatives:

- Educating clinicians on the benefits of breastfeeding.

- Increasing access to support including WIC lactation support.

- Doula-led breastfeeding training at bedsides.

- Partnering with local/regional breastfeeding support entities.

- Issuing Regional Perinatal Quality Collaborative mini-grant funds to local providers.

- Increasing childcare access by raising compensation for providers.

- Requiring bias training for clinicians.

- Offering lactation training opportunities for clinicians and community-based organizations.

Michigan’s Women Infants & Children (WIC) program is celebrating National Breastfeeding Month with the theme “WIC Supports Superheroes.” WIC assists families through free access to lactation consultants via telehealth or in-person appointments; providing training for WIC staff; offering more foods including canned fish for lactating clients; providing infant meats at six months along with more fruits/vegetables; maintaining a warmline available daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 833-MIWICBF (833-649-4223).

For further information on events during National Breastfeeding Month in Michigan visit the Michigan Breastfeeding Network.

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