Jessica Jolley BA, IBCLC

05/18/2026

Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month! This is a time to celebrate the rich diversity of these communities, which are too often overlooked in public health.

We see this play out in infant feeding and maternal health specifically.

Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have distinct cultural practices, histories, and languages. But they are frequently grouped under one broad “AANHPI” category. This aggregation hides important disparities, erases cultural differences, and impacts how resources and support are distributed.

BreastfeedLA is committed to helping change this narrative by advocating for equity-centered approaches, hosting support groups, and backing efforts that recognize the specific needs in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

05/18/2026

Parents can feed at the breast in many different ways 🩵

05/02/2026

05/02/2026

“As my baby gets bigger (more than a year), I feel like I’m constantly pushing her hands away from “twiddling” my other ni**le. I know it is a natural instinct to massage and rub to help with letdown, but she is much stronger now, and my ni**les are sensitive – it just doesn’t feel good. But I feel a bit sad that I’m refusing her efforts to touch. How do other mothers handle this?”

https://lalecheleague.org.nz/2018/03/02/twiddling/

05/02/2026

Many new moms are surprised when breastfeeding makes them feel calm, relaxed, and genuinely sleepy. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong. In fact, it’s oxytocin and prolactin doing exactly what they're supposed to do.

The same thing happens to your baby, which is why a feeding session can feel like the whole world just got quieter.

At a Baby-Friendly designated facility, staff help you understand what's happening in your body during breastfeeding, and how to set yourself up to combine feeding and safe, restful sleep from day one. It's one of the many things they're specifically trained to prepare you for before you go home.

🔗 Find a Baby-Friendly designated facility near you:

www.babyfriendlyusa.org/for-parents/find-a-baby-friendly-facility/

05/02/2026

New mama that had to have surrogate feeding her new baby surrogate’s colostrum at the breast 💛

04/28/2026

04/28/2026

A new study of more than 2,000 new mothers receiving support from WIC found that those who were exclusively breastfeeding at one month had significantly lower odds of elevated postpartum depression symptoms, and that was true regardless of whether or not they had planned to exclusively breastfeed.

The study also found that the majority of participants didn't meet their breastfeeding goals, underscoring just how much support matters.

Baby-Friendly designated facilities follow the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, an evidence-based framework shown to help families meet their feeding goals. Because when new parents get the support they need, the benefits extend well beyond feeding, to their emotional health and wellbeing too.

🔗Read the study: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0340269

🔗Learn more about the Ten Steps: https://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/for-facilities/practice-guidelines/10-steps-and-international-code/