World
Breastfeeding Week is a global breastfeeding promotion campaign recognized
throughout the world. It is celebrated each year during the first
week of August with many organizations choosing to celebrate breastfeeding
throughout the entire month.
It’s
been said that “Making the decision to have a child is momentous,” and it is a journey
that lasts a lifetime. As in any
journey, it is the first step that counts.
Breastfeeding lays the foundation for good health for all children in
both the short and long term, and also benefits mothers. It is well known that human milk provides the
ideal balance of nutrients for an infant's growth and development; reduces the
risk of infectious and chronic disease; protects mothers' and infants' health;
and may reduce the risk of childhood obesity.
Breastfeeding
is also good for our planet. Breast milk
is a “natural, renewable food” that is environmentally safe and produced and
delivered to the “consumer” without pollution, packaging or waste. No electricity is needed to produce breast milk
and it (technically) requires no fuel for transport.
More
importantly, the medical journal the Lancet, recently confirmed that
breastfeeding could save 823,000 child lives and add $302 billion to the global
economy annually. Unfortunately, global
breastfeeding rates have remained stagnant for the past 2 decades. Less than 40% of infants under six months of
age are exclusively breastfed. In the United States, according to the Centers for Disease
Control, although most mothers hope to breastfeed, and 79% of babies start out
being breastfed, only 19% are exclusively breastfed 6 months later.
The
issue is that many women and their families face barriers to
breastfeeding. They may receive
inaccurate information from health providers, lack breastfeeding support, have
no access to breastfeeding counseling or help, face aggressive marketing of
formula or other breast milk substitutes, or may be forced or feel forced to
return to work soon after giving birth.
These barriers alone make it exceedingly difficult for women to
breastfeed exclusively for even 6 months.
The success rate among mothers who want to
breastfeed can be greatly improved through active support from their families,
friends, communities, clinicians, health care leaders, employers, and
policymakers.
The
Livingston County Health Center joins professional health organizations and
breastfeeding advocates worldwide in celebrating World Breastfeeding Week the
first week of August of each year to collaboratively raise awareness of the
numerous benefits of breastfeeding. Join us on August 6th at 9:30 a.m. for the Global Big Latch On at the Farmer’s Market. This Latch-On breastfeeding promotion takes
place at a registered locations around the world, where women gather together
to breastfeed and offer peer support to each other to “Normalize Nursing in
Public.” Their friends, family and
community join this celebration to promote and support breastfeeding. Then on August 9th from 5-7 p.m.
the Livingston County Health Center is sponsoring a “Baby Fair” for
breastfeeding moms and “to-be” moms planning to breastfeed. There will be car seat checks provided by the
Hi-Way patrol, giveaways, door prizes, snacks and booths.
We know that one of the most highly effective preventive measures
a mother can take to protect the health of her infant is to breastfeed. The
Livingston County Health Center actively supports breastfeeding moms and
families by offering free expert advice to help you get the knowledge, help and
encouragement you may need. Breastfeeding:
Any Time, Anywhere, Any Mom. Strengthening
individual, family and community support for breastfeeding. Call 646-5506 for more information or visit
our website at www.livcohealthcenter.com
