Disaster RESOURCES FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS

Breast/Chest feeding reduces short and long-term morbidity and mortality for both parents and their children. It becomes more crucial during disasters and emergencies when families may be at higher risk of infection due to crowded, unsanitary conditions.

Help the families from who you care by knowing the resources to help them succeed.

  • Refer them to the Disaster Resources for Parents page on this Web site.

  • Encourage them to prepare breast/chest feeding diaster-specific kits.

  • Encourage them to breast/chest feed directly to avoid infection due to lack of resources to clean pump parts, bottles and teats.

  • Encourage pump-dependent parents (feeding expressed milk due to infant prematurity or multiples, for example) to learn hand-expression and cup-feeding. They may be able to introduce their infant(s) to the breast with the “drip drop” method. The milk supply of pump-dependent parents is especially vulnerable during disasters: Refer them to a lactation specialist.

  • Encourage all lactating parents to learn hand-expression to prepare for emergency conditions in which they may be separated from their infant, sanitation compromised or electricity unavailable.

  • If a family is also feeding formula, recommend liquid formula in single-size portions with disposable teats. If this is not possible, refer them to the CDC information for proper formula preparation, cleaning, and sanitizing directions.

  • Avoid offering formula to a family that is feeding their own milk. Encourage partially human milk feeding families to increase the proportion of their milk they feed to their infants.

  • Use and Share Posters in Shelters during disasters.

Breast/Chest Feeding Families should be assessed for their needs in emergency/disaster situations. See Assessments here.

Do you have lactation support credentials? If so, sign up here to volunteer during Emergencies/Disasters to help support lactating families.