U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Breastfeeding: Primary Care Behavioral Counseling Interventions

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Systematic Review

Source: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Last Reviewed: April 2025

Workgroups: Maternal, Infant, and Child Health Workgroup

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends providing interventions or referrals to pregnant and postpartum women to support breastfeeding. Interventions or referrals to professionals — such as nurses, midwives, clinicians, or lactation care providers — are beneficial both during pregnancy and after birth.

Interventions to support breastfeeding include:

  • Information about the benefits of breastfeeding, practical breastfeeding skills, and management of common breastfeeding complications
  • Psychological support (encouragement, reassurance, and discussing questions and problems)
  • Direct support during breastfeeding observations (helping with the positioning of the infant and observing latching)
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Objectives related to this resource (2)

Increase the proportion of infants who are breastfed exclusively through age 6 months — MICH‑15
Improving
Increase the proportion of infants who are breastfed at 1 year — MICH‑16
Improving

Suggested Citation

1.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (2025). Final recommendation statement: Breastfeeding: Primary Care Behavioral Counseling Interventions. Retrieved from https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/breastfeeding-primary-care-interventions.