Breastfeeding Support in the Early Postpartum Period

This project is developing a digital navigator to help postpartum parents understand breastfeeding concerns and reach the right support at the right time.

Most parents leave the hospital motivated to breastfeed, yet many stop earlier than they intended not because support doesn’t exist, but because finding the right help at the right moment is hard when you’re sleep-deprived, physically recovering, and caring for a newborn. Oklahoma has made significant investments in free breastfeeding support, from expert consultation to peer groups; the harder problem is helping parents connect what they’re experiencing to what’s available.

In partnership with the Oklahoma Breastfeeding Resource Center, this project explores how intelligent, safety-first design can help postpartum parents make sense of a breastfeeding concern and reach the appropriate support, combining the judgment of lactation professionals with carefully constrained AI. We are working directly with parents and International Board Certified Lactation Consultants to shape the system, and will pilot it with Oklahoma families.