World Breastfeeding Week is just around the corner! Annually, WBW is celebrated from August 1 to 7 to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
It also reminds us the benefits of breastfeeding, which we can never over emphasis: Breastfeeding promotes better health for both mothers and children. According to UNICEF, breastfeeding could save more than 800,000 lives each year, mostly children under 6 months old. Breastfeeding decreases the risk of mothers developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. According to WHO, breastfeeding could prevent 20,000 maternal deaths each year due to breast cancer.
The #WBW2019 slogan is “empower parents, enable breastfeeding.” Empowerment is a process that requires evidence-based, unbiased information and support to create the enabling environment where mothers can breastfeed optimally. Breastfeeding is in the mother’s domain and when fathers, partners, families, workplaces, and communities support her, breastfeeding improves.
This year, activists around the world are working to promote the importance of family-friendly policies to enable breastfeeding and help parents nurture and bond with their children in early life, when it matters most. This includes parent friendly workplace that protect and support mothers’ ability to continue breastfeeding upon their return to work. Mothers need access to breastfeeding breaks, a private and hygienic space for expressing breastmilk, and a place to store expressed milk. Affordable childcare is equally important. (Read more: Breastfeeding discrimination at workplace is real)
This also includes enacting paid maternity leave for a minimum of 18 weeks—recommended by WHO—, and paid paternity leave to encourage shared responsibility of caring for their children on an equal basis. (Read more: Governor Newsom proposed giving parents six months paid leave)
Last month, organized by US Breastfeeding Committee, a group of breastfeeding advocates traveled together to the U.S. Capitol to discuss issues impacting breastfeeding families with their Members of Congress.
In the few short weeks since Advocacy Day, we've already seen progress on several pieces of breastfeeding-friendly legislation:
- The House of Representatives has passed a spending package with historic funding levels for the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program.
- The Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act has passed the Senate and is now awaiting signature into law (the bill passed the house in February).
- The Small Airports Mothers' Room Act has been introduced and had its first Congressional hearing. USBC disseminated a letter which garnered signatures of support from 60 organizations.
WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth and until the age of 6 months old. This goal is hard to achieve without supports. Luckily, everyone can support this process, as breastfeeding is a team effort.
*This post originally published on San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition's Newsletter on July 25, 2019.
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