Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM)

Mission:
Medical doctors educate and empower health professionals to support and manage breastfeeding, lactation, and human milk feeding.

Vision:
Healthier lives worldwide through excellence in the medical care of breastfeeding and lactation.

History:
In 1993, a group of physicians at an International Lactation Consultant Association meeting began discussing the idea of a multidisciplinary physician organization dedicated to the science of breastfeeding medicine. Identifying common concerns and challenges, a core group of 12 physicians formed Physicians Advocating Breastfeeding (PHAB) and scheduled their first conference for the summer of 1994. ABM officially incorporated in 1995.

For over 20 years, ABM has been bringing doctors together to provide evidence-based solutions to the challenges facing breastfeeding across the globe. A vast body of research has demonstrated significant nutritional, physiological, and psychological benefits for both mothers and children that last well beyond infancy. But while breastfeeding is the foundation of a lifetime of health and well-being, clinical practice lags behind scientific evidence.