Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week
LD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 5 months AGO
World Breastfeeding Week 2016 runs from August 1st to August 7th. The theme for this year is about how “breastfeeding is a key element in getting us to think about how to value our well being from the start of life, how to respect each other and care for the world we share.” What does all this mean?
The theme can be broken into parts, with the first being about providing great nutrition to infants from the instant they are brought into the world. Breastmilk is an amazing substance that is uniquely designed to meet your baby’s nutritional, growth, and developmental needs in the first stages of life. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other health organizations recommend and strongly encourage mothers to breastfeed infants exclusively for the first six months of life, with continuation until baby and mom are ready to stop.
The second part of the theme addresses respecting the right for mothers to breastfeed, and providing support and resources for them to do so more easily. Not every mother is able to stay at home with their infant to continue breastfeeding through six months or a year. There are barriers these mothers face when going back to work. Although any time spent breastfeeding is commended, work is being done to help support the continuation of breastfeeding, such as feasible break times for when a mom needs to pump at work or breastfeed her child. Panhandle Health District’s two programs, Idaho Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are working together to help worksites set up lactation rooms and implement lactation policies for nursing moms, thus reducing barriers for breastfeeding.
In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, the Global Big Latch On is held annually in support of breastfeeding. The Global Big Latch On takes place at registered locations around the world. The number of countries participating grew from two in 2010 to 28 in 2015. Volunteers within communities host this event with a mission to create a network of sustainable support for breastfeeding. At these locations, women (along with their friends, family, and community) come together to promote and support breastfeeding while breastfeeding women offer peer support to one another.
In our community, Mother’s Haven is hosting The Global Big Latch On, with support from community partners such as Kootenai Health’s lactation department and Panhandle Health District’s WIC program. The event will be held on Saturday, August 6th at Mother’s Haven. Breastfeeding women are asked to sign in by 10:30 a.m. to participate and offer peer support to each other. Their friends, family and the community are also welcome to join this celebration to promote and support breastfeeding.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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Kimberly Young, MS, RDN, LD, is the WIC Coordinator at Panhandle Health District and a graduate of the University of Idaho Dietetic program.
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