Breastfeeding Awareness Month: August 2018
On August 6, 2011 the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) declared the month of August National Breastfeeding Month. Their mission is to “improve the Nation’s health by working collaboratively to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.”
While most believe breastfeeding is standard for nursing infants and young children, some mothers are still choosing to feed them formula. They might have been misinformed or even don’t know about the benefits, so the USBC is trying to promote breastfeeding and encourage more mothers.
USBC wants all parents to know the many benefits of breastfeeding and breastmilk for their young ones. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 1 in 4 infants is exclusively breastfed for 6 months – the recommended time for newborns to receive breastmilk. The infants who aren’t exclusively breastfed are missing out on all of its benefits: breastmilk is a good source of nutrition that adapts over time to meet the infant’s needs, it helps build their immune system as antibodies pass from mother to child, and it builds a strong emotional connection between the mother and the child.
It also reduces numerous risks for the infant and the mother:
This type of bond can be promoted with the support of workplace lactation. It is important to back workplace lactation for breastfeeding mothers due to the medically recommended breastfeeding timeframe of six months up to the infant’s first year. This type of reinforcement not only promotes a healthy relationship between mother and child, it also creates a supportive workplace rapport between mom and employer.
Are you looking for support? Join NCHS WIC as they participate in the Global Big Latch On. The Global Big Latch On holds events at registered locations around the world, where people gather together to breastfeed and offer peer support to each other. Their friends, family and community join this celebration to promote and support breastfeeding. North County Health Services (NCHS) will be hosting three breastfeeding awareness events at the following North County WIC offices; Escondido WIC, Oceanside (Mission Mesa) WIC and San Marcos WIC on Friday, August 3rd from 9:00am-11:00am. Check out these events and you may event run into a local First 5 presentative with other goodies for your youngster as well.
Sources:
http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/p/cm/ld/fid=267
https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/index.htm