Here's my summary of the biggest news in breastfeeding in 2011. I think you'll agree that it was a banner year, especially for the elimination of some important barriers to breastfeeding.
You can read my lists from prior years here: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006. Feel free to tell me what I've missed!
Surgeon General issues a Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin kicked off the year by issuing a bold statement in support of breastfeeding. It outlines steps needed to eliminate the barriers that keep so many mothers from reaching their breastfeeding goals, and forms the basis of the administration's policy initiatives in breastfeeding support (see CDC point below).
Target nurse-ins put spotlight on nursing in public. In the final week of the year, protests were held at an estimated 100+ Target stores after mother-of-four Michelle Hickman was harassed and humiliated at a store in the Houston area. Target's slow response and inconsistently applied policy of supporting nursing moms in its stores was a contrast to an earlier protest at Whole Foods, which ended in the store welcoming the protesters and establishing a written policy supporting nursing in their stores.
First Lady Michelle Obama promotes breastfeeding. Could you ask for a higher profile advocate for breastfeeding than First Lady Michelle Obama? As part of her Let's Move campaign to combat childhood obesity, she announced that she would work to eliminate hospital barriers to breastfeeding by pushing for an increase in the number of Baby Friendly hospitals. This announcement became fodder for some high profile voices on the right who viewed it as an example of government over-reaching its authority.
Insurance coverage for breastfeeding support and pump rentals now required. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued regulations requiring that insurance companies cover "Comprehensive lactation support and counseling, by a trained provider during pregnancy and/or in the postpartum period, and costs for renting breastfeeding equipment." On August 1, 2012, these support services will be offered by insurance, with no co-pay or other cost-sharing.
Breastpumps become tax deductible and eligible for FSA accounts. Reversing an earlier position, the IRS made breastpumps and related supplies tax deductible, and eligible for purchase using funds in an FSA account. This is a bit complicated, so I recommend starting by reading this post and comments before assuming that you'll be able to benefit.
The CDC pushes for more Baby Friendly Hospitals. After noting that U.S. hospitals are "a very long way from where we need to be" in implementing practices known to increase breastfeeding success, the CDC announced a new $6 million initiative to support the certification of more hospitals as Baby Friendly. We currently have less Baby Friendly hospitals than Ecuador, so this is a welcome effort!
Kaiser announces Baby Friendly push at all hospitals. Anyone noticing a theme here? Health care giant Kaiser Permanente, which cares for more moms and babies than any other system in the U.S., announced that all 29 of its hospitals will either become Baby Friendly or be evaluated by their exclusive breastfeeding outcomes by the Joint Commission.
Formula discharge bags are on the way out. One of the thorniest issues when it comes to obtaining Baby Friendly status is the issue of the formula company "gift bags" given to most women on discharge from the hospital. But grass roots organizing as well as government pressure has led to a marked decrease in the number of hospitals giving them out. A study found a doubling of bag-free hospitals in ten states, and Rhode Island recently made news by became the first state to go completely "bag free."
Donor milk starts to become the standard of care in NICUs, shortages loom. Modern donor milk banking celebrated its 100th anniversary a few years ago, and I think that this year marked the burgeoning acceptance of donor milk as mainstream therapy in NICUs. Buoyed by research showing that donor milk can save lives, more and more hospitals are making donor milk the standard of care for preemies born before a certain number of weeks gestation or below a certain birth weight. And the non-profit milk banks have been a victim of their own success; with demand rising they've seen increasingly frequent shortages.
Online mother-to-mother milk sharing continues to grow. This was on my top ten list last year, but I thought it deserved to be on this year's list, too. Milk sharing through the internet has grown dramatically, with the organization Human Milk 4 Human Babies now engaging over 20,000 members in 52 countries.
Mothering Magazine shuts down print publication. The only magazine I know of that put breastfeeding at the top of its agenda shut down as a print publication this year. For years, Mothering Magazine was the safe, supportive corner of the media universe for nursing mothers. While mothering.com is still up and offering content on breastfeeding, birth, and other parenting issues, it's just not the same as receiving the magazine in the mail, or seeing it on the news stand.
So, all in all, a great year for breastfeeding, wouldn't you say?
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