Breastfeeding Week, August 1-7
Exciting news for breastfeeding moms around the world – August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week.
One hundred and twenty countries participate in World Breastfeeding Week each year. In conjunction with the Olympics, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action has coined the slogan “Mother Support: Going for the Gold.” To meet the gold standard the organization suggests mothers “breastfeed exclusively for six months, and provide appropriate complementary foods with continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond.”
Here in New York State, Governor David Paterson has issued an official proclamation declaring this week World Breastfeeding Week.
In a release from the New York State Department of Health, Commissioner Richard F. Daines, said, “In proclaiming Breastfeeding Week, we recognize the tremendous health benefits that breastfed infants enjoy and how important it is to increase the number of infants that are breastfed…The evidence is clear that being breastfed is important to the lifelong health of infants, and we want to encourage new mothers to continue to breastfeed after they return to work.”
Although the Nursing Mothers in the Work Place Act was enacted last year to encourage mothers to breastfeed even after returning to work and to ensure that work environments allowed for this, the State Senate failed to pass the Breastfeeding Bill of Rights this year. Perhaps the international focus on breastfeeding will encourage the State Senate to action next session.
By Samantha Hurley