Continuity of Care (And Our Chests Deserve The Best)

In healthcare, there's a constant call for continuity of care.

It makes sense: coordinated, ongoing care where providers work together over time to improve patient outcomes.

Breast and chest health are no different. It can impact every stage of our life, starting with infancy.

We need the same continuity of care—or perhaps continu(t)ity of care—ensuring that the 84% of families who initiate breastfeeding have the support to continue safely and successfully. That means providers communicating across disciplines, identifying problems early, coordinating care, and delivering timely, compassionate interventions before a challenge becomes a crisis.

When we dismiss lactation—or women's health more broadly—as "niche," we diminish one of the most foundational biological processes in human life. Human milk is our first food. Lactation is our first public health intervention.

This is bipartisan to its core.

Human milk influences maternal health, infant health, development, and lifelong outcomes for EVERYONE.

Breastfeeding isn't a straight path. There are steep climbs, unexpected detours, and moments when families wonder if they can continue.

They don't just need encouragement.

• 🏁 They need guides.
• 📊 They need data.
• 🔁 They need coordinated care.
• 🗺️ They need a map.
• 🤝 They need sherpas and support.

Families don't fail because they lack will or desire to breastfeed or access human milk.

• 🚩 They fail because they lack visibility, timely support, and coordinated care.
• 🏥 Continu(t)ity of care shouldn't end at hospital discharge.
• 🎯🎯 For breastfeeding families, that's where it should begin.

Best chest forward. - M