Primary Care Breastfeeding Support the First Weeks

We need confidence, knowledge, and skills to support families!

One study compared survey results of American Academy of Pediatric members in 1995 compared to 2014.  This analysis revealed that while more pediatricians recommend exclusive breastfeeding, fewer think mothers can be successful, and fewer believe that the benefits outweigh the difficulties. 

Without the knowledge and confidence to navigate these challenges, physician cannot support breastfeeding and families will wean prematurely.    

To help we need to learn more about the common challenges that families encounter in the first weeks postpartum.

Pain and low milk supply are the two most common lactation problems experienced by families.

In the first weeks, addressing pain from latching, engorgement, tongue tie, and torticollis is critical.  Women are significantly more likely to wean in the first 3 weeks postpartum if pain persists.

Low milk supply or perceived low milk supply is the other most common cause of weaning.  Our management of infant weight loss, jaundice, latching, ankyloglossia, feeding patterns in these first weeks can all impact milk supply.  Managing these conditions successfully increases the likelihood of continued breastfeeding.

Families are more likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding if their physicians support them!

Training during medical school and residency not only will support trainees in meeting their own goals if they have children, it will also improve the knowledge, attitudes, and confidence when caring for patients.

Nationally the majority of families are initiating breastfeeding and there is general recognition that breastfeeding is important.   Now we need to empower our health care providers and families with the skills to navigate the first weeks postpartum so they can continue breastfeeding and meet their goals!

Ann Witt MD, IBCLC, FABM launched BFMED Primary Care in 2022 as a resource for primary care practices and providers wanting to improve breastfeeding support for families, gain practical breastfeeding knowledge for their clinical practice,  as well as learn more about implementing team-based LC/PCP care. 

After years of clinical practice experience; research; speaking; and teaching physicians, nurse practitioners, and lactation consultants, Dr. Witt created this course in response to requests for more clinically relevant primary care-focused outpatient breastfeeding education. She founded Breastfeeding Medicine of Northeast Ohio in 2008 to provide specialized breastfeeding medicine consults to families experiencing breastfeeding difficulties. Additionally, she is the director of lactation services at Senders Pediatrics where she led the implementation of team-based lactation consultant and primary care provider visits for the first newborn visit after hospital discharge.

As a breastfeeding medicine physician who also directs outpatient lactation services at a pediatric practice, she is uniquely positioned to see the breastfeeding needs that present at a primary care practice as well as which families need specialized breastfeeding medicine support. This is one of the unique perspectives she brings to the creation of the course.