Thurston County proclaims August 2025 Breastfeeding Awareness Month; local lactation staff highlight gaps and supports

At its Aug. 12 meeting the Thurston County Board of Health proclaimed August 2025 as Breastfeeding Awareness Month and invited registered nurse and board-certified lactation consultant Ashley Reynolds to brief the board on local work to support chest feeding.

Reynolds described breastfeeding as a public-health investment and cited state and national data to contextualize local needs: she noted the Healthy People 2030 goal of 54% of infants breastfed at one year and stated current rates are about 39%. Reynolds said Washington State shows higher initiation and six-month exclusive breastfeeding rates than the national average but that Thurston County lacks granular local data. She described barriers that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority families, younger parents and households eligible for WIC, including limited access to in-person lactation services, uneven insurance coverage for lactation support and workforce constraints.

Reynolds highlighted the nurse-family partnership program and local in-person support groups as tools that improve initiation and duration: "Families who participate in nurse family partnership are 21% more likely to be breastfeeding at all within 6 months," she said. She also told the board that while virtual lactation visits have grown, in-person oral-motor assessment and hands-on support remain important for some families.

Board members asked about outreach to rural Peninsula communities, insurance coverage and the effect of local hospital and midwifery service changes on access. Staff and Reynolds discussed virtual-service limits, the need for translated materials and partnerships with hospitals, pediatricians and doulas to broaden access. The board read a proclamation encouraging community action to address chest-feeding disparities and support equitable lactation care.