My breastfeeding journey was filled with challenges, not because I lacked the desire to breastfeed, but because I lacked access to the skilled care that every parent deserves. I know what it feels like to struggle without help. And now, as a lactation professional, I see families living this same reality every day.

Parents are not failing. The healthcare system is failing them.

Insurance companies currently restrict lactation consultations to short, inadequate timeframes and limit how many visits a family can receive. Breastfeeding challenges cannot always be solved in 20–30 minutes. Many parents need ongoing care, follow-up, and support, especially in complex feeding situations.

Lactation care is not a luxury. It is essential healthcare.

The American Academy of Pediatrics confirms that professional lactation support improves breastfeeding duration and health outcomes for both infants and mothers. Yet too many families are denied that support because insurance will not cover the care they need.

This is not just an inconvenience; it is an issue of health equity.

Families with financial resources can pay out-of-pocket for continued lactation care, while low-income families, rural parents, and underserved communities are often left without support. These barriers widen existing disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes and place the greatest burden on those already facing the most obstacles.

According to the CDC, only about 58.3% of infants are exclusively breastfed at six months. This is not because parents don’t want to continue, it is because too many are left without adequate care.

We are calling for immediate, equitable change:
Require all insurance plans to cover full lactation consultations of up to 2 hours
Remove limits on the number of lactation visits allowed
Ensure parents can access both prenatal education and multiple postpartum follow-ups
Every parent deserves the opportunity to feed their baby with confidence, not stress, isolation, or financial burden.

If you believe lactation support is vital healthcare and should be accessible to all families, please sign this petition. Together, we can hold insurance companies accountable and ensure no parent is left without care during one of the most critical times of their lives.

Sign now to support equitable breastfeeding care for all.