Information for Providers
Referral Guide for Clinical Professionals
This easy-to-read guide contains assessment tools and contact information for local support resources.
Assessment Tools
- Assessment/Referral Quick Chart
- Infant Weight Loss Guide
- Amount of Milk Needed per Day
- Using Diapers to Assess Feeding
Local Support Listings
- Breastfeeding “Who’s Who”
- Alameda County Breastfeeding Support Guide (Revised 1/2021)
PDF: English/Spanish | English/Chinese
Guidelines for Community Health Centers and Outpatient Care Settings
Alameda County Health, Public Health Department joins the California Department of Public Health in promoting the 9 Steps to Breastfeeding Friendly Community Health Centers and Outpatient Settings to ensure all families receive skilled breastfeeding support and care that protects well-being and builds healthier communities. The 9 Steps promotes nationally accepted clinical competencies for professionals providing primary and secondary care to childbearing families. These competencies are essential to delivering perinatal education that fosters parental self-efficacy, skilled clinical assessment, and appropriate infant feeding plans.
Community Health Centers and outpatient settings in Alameda County that provide primary care for breastfeeding are eligible for FREE clinical lactation education for physicians, midwives, and nurses through the Alameda County Regional Breastfeeding Liaison program. For more information, contact Jeanne.Kettles@acgov.org.
Clinical Education and Resources
Health care providers need to be knowledgeable about the evidence that informs best practices in care, as well how to bill for sustainability. Like any area of healthcare, the body of knowledge regarding breastfeeding, breastmilk, and ways to care for patients is evolving with continued study.
Learn more about the core competencies necessary to provide effective comprehensive services to mothers, children, and families.
Looking for top-quality clinical breastfeeding education:
- United States Breastfeeding Committee Lactation Support Provider Training Directory
- AAP Breastfeeding Residency Curriculum
Professional medical associations such as the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) offer tools and guidelines for quality care:
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Protocols
(Jaundice, hypoglycemia, supplementation, mastitis, and more) - Breastfeeding Promotion in the Prenatal Care Setting (Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Protocol #19)
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG): Optimizing Support for Breastfeeding as Part of Obstetric Practice. 2018
- AAP Policy on Breastfeeding and Other Resources
Additional resources
- ACOG Breastfeeding Toolkit
- Growth Standards (WHO and CDC)
- American Academy of Family Physicians – Breastfeeding Codes
- AAP: The Primary Care Pediatrician’s Guide to Coding
- ICD-10 Coding for Breastfeeding
- Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI) 2020 Coding Guide
CDPH WIC Breastfeeding Pocket Guide for Health Care Providers
Breast Milk Supply and Infant Growth
Resources for Hospitals
- World Health Organization (WHO) Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (revised 2018) – Critical Management Procedures and Key Clinical Practices
- California Laws Guiding Hospital Policies and Practices
- Breastfeeding Model Hospital Policies – California
- Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative – USA
- 10 Steps and the International Code – World Health Organization
- Breastfeeding Hospital Quality Improvement