THE LATCH TO SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK™

Centering Black Families, Fathers, and Gender-Expansive Birthing People Through the Power of Lactation

Lactation is not just feeding support.
It is infrastructure.

The Latch to Systems Framework™ is a systems-based model that advances breastfeeding equity and birth justice by embedding lactation care across the full maternal–infant health continuum.

At The Obsidian Milk Collective, we are shifting the narrative:
Breastfeeding is power. Families are essential. Systems must change.

The Latch to Systems Framework™ may not be reproduced, adapted, or used without written permission from The Obsidian Milk Collective.

WHY THIS FRAMEWORK EXISTS (THE GAP)

Lactation is often treated as an individual responsibility.

Families are told:

  • to try harder

  • to seek support

  • to make informed choices

But what happens when:

  • support is unavailable

  • care is unaffordable

  • providers are inaccessible

  • systems are fragmented

  • or history has shaped mistrust and inequity

This framework exists to name a truth:

Feeding outcomes are shaped by systems—not just individual behavior.

The Gap

Lactation care is failing Black families—not because of individual choices, but because systems were never built to support them.

  • Care models are mother-centered, not family-centered

  • Fathers and partners are excluded from education and decision-making

  • Support ends after discharge, leaving families without continuity

  • Insurance barriers limit access to care and supplies

  • Workforce lacks Black and gender-expansive representation

  • Care systems exclude non-binary and gender-diverse birthing people

THE CONTINUUM: FROM LATCH TO SYSTEMS

Lactation care is not individual—it is relational.

It includes birthing people, fathers, partners, and chosen family across the full continuum of care. The Latch to Systems Framework™ moves across five interconnected levels of care and influence:

  • The point of contact.

    • positioning

    • milk transfer

    • pain, latch, supply

    • immediate postpartum support

    This is where most lactation conversations begin.

    And it often centers only the birthing person—

    while fathers, partners, and support people are left out.

    But it is not where care should begin or end.

  • What surrounds the individual—and the family.

    • availability of lactation professionals

    • affordability of care

    • access to pumps and supplies

    • transportation and scheduling

    Access also determines who is included in care—

    fathers, partners, and chosen family members are often excluded from education and support.

    Without access, knowledge cannot be applied.

  • Where care is structured.

    • hospital practices

    • discharge processes

    • referral systems

    • provider training

    • integration into maternal and infant healthcare

    Most systems are built around a narrow definition of who lactation support is for—

    often excluding fathers, partners, and gender-expansive birthing people.

    Continuum of Care (ACCESS + SYSTEMS BRIDGE)

    Lactation support is not a single visit—it is a relationship over time.

    • Birth (0–72 hours): Initial latch and feeding support

    • Early Postpartum (0–6 weeks): Stabilization and assessment

    • Ongoing Postpartum (as long as lactation continues): Responsive, developmentally aligned support

    Postpartum does not end at 6 weeks.

    It continues for as long as a family is feeding.

    Care must be continuous—not episodic.

    This is where systems either support families—or fail them.

  • What is funded, covered, and prioritized.

    • Medicaid coverage for lactation services

    • insurance reimbursement

    • workplace protections

    • public health investment

    • legislation and advocacy

    Policy determines who has access to care—

    and whose families are recognized within it.

    Policy shapes what is possible.

  • What we ultimately see.

    • breastfeeding initiation and duration

    • maternal and infant health outcomes

    • chronic disease risk

    • disparities across race and geography

    When fathers, partners, and gender-expansive birthing people are included,

    outcomes improve—for the entire family.

    Outcomes are not random.

    They are produced—by the systems we build.

HOW THE FRAMEWORK IS APPLIED

The Latch to Systems Framework™ is not theoretical.

It is a tool for systems change.

It is used to:

    • design programs that address structural barriers

    • guide funding and resource allocation

    • inform policy and advocacy efforts

    • shape workforce development strategies

    • reframe lactation as essential healthcare

CENTERED, NOT LIMITED

This framework centers Black families in Alabama and the Deep South because that is where gaps in care are most visible.

This is not about exclusion.

It is about clarity.

When we build for those most impacted, we create systems that work better for everyone.

WHAT THIS FRAMEWORK REQUIRES

Improving latch alone is not enough.

Systems must change.

Lactation justice requires:

  • accessible, affordable care

  • a representative and supported workforce

  • integrated healthcare systems

  • policy that reflects the value of human milk

  • sustained investment in community-rooted solutions

THE ROLE OF THE OBSIDIAN MILK COLLECTIVE

The Obsidian Milk Collective operationalizes the Latch to Systems Framework™ through: education and narrative change

  • lactation access funding

  • workforce development

  • policy and advocacy

  • strategic partnerships

OMC exists to build the infrastructure that ensures this framework is not just understood—but implemented.

FINAL STATEMENT

Lactation is not optional support.

It is health infrastructure.

The problem was never just the latch.

The solution cannot be either.

The Latch to Systems Framework™

Developed by Jasmine Hammonds, Founder of The Obsidian Milk Collective