Lactation Provider

The training will provide basic knowledge on composition of human milk, physiology of milk production, maternal and infant assessment, latch on and positioning, normal breastfeeding, documentation, counseling skills, breastfeeding challenges, milk supply issues, medication concerns and promotion of breastfeeding.
Location and Dates of 2025 Training:
To be announced. Dates will be in late summer 2025.
Important Information:

• There is no charge for this training, but you must be registered in order to attend.
• This program has been submitted for CPE approval to the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• This program has been submitted for CERP approval to the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE).
• Up to 17.5 contact hours are available based on attendance, evaluation and homework completion.
• You must be able to attend all three days to receive credit for the course. The course will be held live and will not be recorded or self-paced.
• There will be work required outside of the classroom setting to attain all continuing education credit.
• The program will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. all three days.

Select to register for Breastfeeding Essentials training

Presented by: WIC and Nutrition Services and Community Health and Wellness, made possible by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Office on Women’s Health.

Level 1 is an introductory course to lactation practice and will cover topics such as normal infant nutrition, growth and development, anatomy and physiology of breastfeeding, breastfeeding assessment, common infant and maternal breastfeeding issues, composition of human milk and comparison to manufactured infant formula, social and biological considerations for lactation support, information literacy, legal and ethical concerns and other topics. This course will provide 45 of the 90 lactation specific education hours needed to sit for the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) exam.

Level 2, scheduled to be offered in 2026, will cover advanced lactation topics such as variations in maternal and infant anatomy and physiology, endocrinology, the physiology of transfer of substances into milk, lactation management in special situations, infectious diseases, IBLCE exam preparation and other topics. Level 2 will provide another 45 hours of lactation specific education for the IBLCE exam, completing the required 90 hours.

Due to the intensity and cumulative nature of this course, please register only if you will be able to attend all five days and complete the pre-course material. Partial credit for attendance will not be given. Students should expect to complete reading and online material prior to the in-person course and an end of class exam in order to qualify for all CERPs. This course is open to a wide variety of hospital staff, midwives, doulas, WIC staff, La Leche League leaders and community lactation supporters working in Missouri. Due to funding limitations, out-of-state registrations will not be approved.

Select to register for an IBCLC Prep Course

For information about a prerequisite course for the IBLCE Exam Prep course contact Lisa Schlientz at Lisa.Schlientz@health.mo.gov

WIC Data Dashboard

This dashboard contains information related to the participants receiving services with the Missouri WIC program. The data for the Missouri WIC data dashboard is available in real time for the past five years.

Missouri breastfeeding data is available on the Missouri Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). The data is provided on different nutritional indicators, including breastfeeding initiation and duration rates of Missouri women and infants who participate in WIC.

State-by-state data to help health professionals, legislators, employers, business owners, community advocates and family members work together to protect, promote and support breastfeeding is located on the CDC Breastfeeding Report Card. More data is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Breastfeeding page. Breastfeeding initiation data is also available at the county level to help guide community health assessment and guide local strategies for improving continuity of care.

Maternity Care Practices Report

This report describes specific opportunities to improve mother-baby care at hospitals and birth centers in Missouri and nationwide to successfully meet national quality care standards for perinatal care. This data is collected every other year, starting in 2007 by the CDC. Find more information on the CDC National Survey of Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPinc).

Missouri moms have the right to breastfeed their children in any public or private place, as long as they are allowed to be in that place, according to the Title XII Public Health and Welfare, Section 191.918, RSMo.

The law also states that hospitals and ambulatory surgical surgical centers that provide obstetrical care must provide new mothers with information on breastfeeding and the benefits to the child, and offer breastfeeding consultations where appropriate as determined by the attending physician according to Title XII Public Health and Welfare, Section 191.915, RSMo.

House Bill 1320 made the following revisions to the state breastfeeding law:

• Language was updated.
• Clarified that breastfeeding is not an act of indecency.
• States that a municipality shall not enact an ordinance prohibiting or restricting a mother from breastfeeding.
• Any nursing mother, upon her request, and with a completed written statement from her physician, shall be excused from jury duty (Section 494.430, RSMo).

Missouri schools are required to have a written lactation policy and to provide accommodations for lactating employees, teachers and students to express breast milk, breastfeed a child or address other needs relating to breastfeeding a minimum of three times per day, according to Title XI Education and Libraries, Section 160.995, RSMo.

Learn more about breastfeeding laws in other states on the National Conference of State Legislatures page. Additional resources for breastfeeding in public can be found on the Women's Health website.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child. Employers are also required to provide a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.

• Basic information and answers to frequently asked questions about worker’s rights can be found the Department of Labor’s FLSA Protections to Pump at Work page, including this handy one page guide to federal protections for pregnant, postpartum and pumping workers.
• If you are a pregnant, postpartum or pumping worker who needs legal advice about an employment situation, you may be able to get help from A Better Balance, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that provides a free and confidential legal helpline for working parents.
• Follow this process to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, which is responsible for administering and enforcing some of the nation’s most important worker protection laws.

File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD). WHD is responsible for administering and enforcing some of the nation's most important worker protection laws.

Federal laws also protect breastfeeding mothers. The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) provides Breastfeeding Traveler Information that explains your rights when traveling. More information about the FAM Act is located here: S.2638 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress.