Massachusetts law gives you the right to breastfeed in most public places. If anyone gives you trouble, you can use our new License to Breastfeed to set them straight. Copies of the license are available for free download or for purchase.

Search for lactation consultants, support groups, and breastfeeding counselors in your community and print out listings using our ZipMilk, our breastfeeding resource locator.

Learn about how to donate and use banked human milk. Read More.

Just one bottle won't hurt a breast-fed baby... Or will it? Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC, lays out the health consequences of offering infants formula. Learn More.

Parents may appreciate a free gift, but the bags promote sales of formula at the expense of breastfeeding. Read More

I want to breastfeed and bottle feed -- can I do both? Common questions and answers for new parents. Learn More

The International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes lays out strict criteria for advertising and distributing formula to mothers. Learn More.

Review this 2006 Report Card of Massachusetts Hospitals breastfeeding rates, and learn which hospitals distribute commercial discharge bags. Read More.

Powdered formulas may occassionally be contaminated with bacteria and have other hazards, so the World Health Organization has issued guidelines. Read More.

Please visit our handouts page for great resources like our Making Milk Is Easy and Skin to Skin handouts. We also have discharge instruction and breastfeeding checklists ready to download and print. Most handouts come in multiple languages.

The World Health Organization released new growth charts for breastfed children in April 2006. Learn more

If you're planning on breastfeeding, start learning about it before you deliver - and make sure you caregivers are as enthusiastic about breastfeeding as you are. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative outlines what it takes to give moms and babies the best start for breastfeeding. Learn More

How long should I breastfeed? Can I have a cup of coffee? Why won't my baby nurse? Browse frequently asked breastfeeding questions. Learn More

Questions about breastfeeding? Help is only a phone call away - there are dozens of support people in Massachusetts to help moms and babies make breastfeeding a success. Learn More

Health plans can vary widely, even within the same insurance company. They may also change their benefits frequently. Please check with your insurance company directly to find out what is covered.

The Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy has compiled maternity statistics on all the hospitals in the state, including rates of breastfeeding at hospital discharge, available at http://www.state.ma.us/dhcfp/pages/dhcfp155.htm. As you review these statistics, bear in mind that nationally, breastfeeding rates are higher among wealthier populations, and lower among poorer populations. A hospital's rate may reflect these trends, rather than how well it supports breastfeeding. The best way to measure how well a hospital supports breastfeeding is to measure later breastfeeding rates, such as at two months or four months, as breastfeeding rates tend to drop dramatically in the first two weeks. We do not have statistics for these later breastfeeding rates.