HUG Your Baby: Preparing Nurse Practitioner Students to Support Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is known to have numerous benefits for both mothers and infants. Although the United States reports high breastfeeding initiation rates after birth, the rates of continuation are quite low at both 6 and 12 months. Breastfeeding support in the health care setting is shown to improve the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding, yet clinicians do not receive adequate training to provide this support to patients and families. By adding the HUG (Help, Understanding, Guidance) Your Baby virtual breastfeeding education program into our women’s health and pediatric nurse practitioner courses, students showed significant gains in knowledge and confidence of breastfeeding support regardless of past personal or professional experience.