November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the history and contributions of Indigenous peoples in the United States. However, we must also acknowledge the breastfeeding health disparities among indigenous communities in the US. According to recent CDC data, breastfeeding initiation among American Indian and Alaska Native populations is 77.7%, compared to the national average of 84%. Experts point to the lack of Native American lactation consultants as a key factor in this gap. To address these disparities, increased research and support are essential. In particular, accurate data collection and resources focused on Indigenous lactation are needed to improve health outcomes.

We want to highlight two key organizations making a difference:

• Indigenous Lactation Counselor (ILC): A 5-day, 45-hour foundational lactation education course created by Native people, for Native people, to train lactation counselors.
• Indigenous Milk Medicine Collective (IMMC): Promotes equity in Native first food experiences and hosts Indigenous Milk Medicine Week every August.

Policymakers are still debating the Fiscal Year 2025 federal budget. We need to make sure that they're hearing from us about the importance of funding breastfeeding programs. Take two minutes right now to ask your legislators to invest in breastfeeding using the USBC action tool. 

Since 2012, the federal budget has funded the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program, which has helped improve maternity care practices, increase access to lactation support providers, address disparities in breastfeeding rates, and more. Both the House and Senate included $9.75M for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program this year. We're asking for an increase.

Policymakers need to hear from advocates like you that this is a smart and effective program. Help us educate policymakers on how human milk feeding protects the health of both mom and baby, is the safest food in emergencies, and is one of the best investments a country can make.