ABM Protocol Highlight: Protocol #5
āAll breastfed infants should be seen by a health care provider at 3-5 days of life or within 48-72 hours of discharge to evaluate the infantās well-being and the successful establishment of breastfeeding.ā
This excerpt from the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) Protocol # 5: Peripartum Breastfeeding Management for the Healthy Mother and Infant at Term highlights the clear standard of care recommendation that integrated breastfeeding support occur not just in the hospital setting but as part of a continuum of care including at the initial primary care provider visit after hospital discharge. These and other recommendations from the protocols can be used as support when lobbying for integrated breastfeeding support within your practice.
The ABM protocols are evidence-based protocols providing concise, helpful guidance for the practicing physician. Currently there are 40+ protocols and position statements. Over the course of 2026, we will be highlighting key statements from different protocols in each of our monthly newsletters, looking through the lens of an outpatient primary care practice. In addition to the research updates offered in these newsletters, we hope that these protocols become helpful guidelines to you and your practice. We aim to draw attention to individual protocols, their accompanying resources, and how they may assist a primary care practice in creating and strengthening routine primary care breastfeeding support.
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Research Updates
Benefits & Costs of Paid Parental Leave
- This recent article from Social Service Review addresses the social benefits & fiscal costs of a 4-week plan and 12-week plan.
- Two national policy scenarios are examined for their impact on maternal/infant health, as well as the impact on earnings for parents and future earnings for infants.
Nursing Pillows & Safe Sleep Environment
- Practicing safe sleep is critical to reducing Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID).
- Nursing pillow use in sleep environments was reported in 5% of SUID of 1,685 SUID cases in Georgia from 2013ā2022.
- Since April 2025, new manufacturing labels on nursing pillows to highlight the potential risk and indicate nursing pillows are not intended for infant sleep environments.
- From the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025.
Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding has been shown to be protective of maternal cardiovascular health, with an observed association between breastfeeding and reduced risk of morbidity and mortality related to cardiometabolic disease.
- In this JAMA 2025 study, women with Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP) was associated with higher odds of never breastfeeding and with short duration of breastfeeding.
- Mothers with hypertension, preeclampsia, or eclampsia before or during pregnancy require tailored support to meet their breastfeeding goals.
Helpful Resources
- UK-based Baby Sleep Info Source provides evidence-based content about biologically normal infant sleep habits, addressing cultural differences among familial sleep practices, recommendations for twin sleep, and research about sleep aids.
- The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine offers a downloadable parent handout on safe Bedsharing and Breastfeeding, translated into 14 languages and available for purchase in tear-off packets for your office.
- This "Safe Sleep 7" handout from La Leche League International is another helpful resource for providers and families to review safe co-sleeping practices.
- US Department of Labor website about Paid Leave offers interactive maps detailing the landscape of paid leave options throughout the United States, along with helpful resources about the current Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
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