As a public health nurse, you form a vital connection between new families and the healthcare system. Helping parents with infant feeding is a crucial part of that role—but since preservice training often only skims the surface of breastfeeding, you may be left unprepared for the real-world challenges you encounter.
We are here to support you as you support families.
Let’s start with four of the most important things you need to know now—they’re drawn from our course Lactation Basics for the Public Health Nurse, which contains 8 in-depth modules designed just for you, to give you the tools to support lactation with confidence.
Systemic Barriers Matter—and You Can Help
Evidence shows that in perinatal settings, care providers often make assumptions about who wants to breastfeed based on ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, and other factors—and then spend more time supporting those they assume are interested.
What this means for you: The family you visit may not have received skilled, culturally appropriate support to get started breastfeeding. They may be working with little or no accurate information.
But you can help. By deepening your understanding of systemic barriers and your own implicit biases, you can deliver effective, respectful care—ensuring all families in your care receive the support they need.
A Good Latch Makes All the Difference
Nipple pain and trauma, excessive infant weight loss or slow weight gain, declining milk supply, even fussiness—all of these can be signs that a baby is not latching well.
Key signs of a deep, effective latch:
- Asymmetrical (baby takes more breast tissue below the nipple than above)
- Wide open mouth (140-160 degrees)
- Lips flanged out, not tucked in
- Comfortable for the parent, with strong milk transfer
Partners Matter More Than You Think
A 2024 study found that parents whose partners felt positively about breastfeeding were 13 times more likely to still be breastfeeding at 5 months.
That’s why including partners matters. Here’s how:
- Cast a wide net: “Partner” means anyone who plays a supportive role
- Acknowledge their importance
- Make your communication inclusive and welcoming
- Offer tangible ways they can help
- Encourage them to check in with the lactating parent about what kind of support is most wanted
Effective Communication is Crucial
When it comes to lactation support, how you connect matters as much as what you know.
Here are four key counseling skills that make a difference:
- Use eye contact and open body language
- Speak plainly and reflect the family’s own words
- Don’t rush — build rapport
- Offer information, not advice; and avoid sharing personal opinions
The best part? Counseling skills can be learned, and the more you practice, the more intuitive they become.
There’s So Much More!
All of these topics—and many more—are explored in depth in Lactation Basics for the Public Health Nurse. This 8-module course connects the dots between what you already know and what families need, helping you strengthen your lactation care one family at a time.