this post made possible by the generous sponsorship of Fairhaven Health.
Nations around the world continue to make progress in terms of normalizing and supporting breastfeeding, whether in public or in the privacy of a mother’s home. Last week, Guam senator Aline Yamashita introduced a bill to protect the right of women to breastfeed in public or private spaces. In fact, most U.S. states and territories have passed some sort of law regarding breastfeeding.
This is exactly what the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action had hoped for when they launched World Breastfeeding Week in 1992. Each year, World Breastfeeding Week celebrates women’s breastfeeding rights from August 1-7. The global campaign aims to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding, while raising public awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding.
This year’s theme is all about breastfeeding peer support. Approximately 77 percent of moms begin breastfeeding after delivery, however only 47 percent of moms continue to breastfeed at six months old, and by 12 months old only 25 percent of moms breastfeed their infants. Community support after delivery is essential to successful and sustained breastfeeding. Traditionally, families provided this support but with the global community available via the world wide web, women can seek peer support from Internet communities including The Leaky Boob.
To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week 2013 and breastfeeding peer support The Leaky Boob is hosting The Ultimate World Breastfeeding Week giveaway along with The Boob Group, and the San Diego Breastfeeding Center. Two lucky winners, announced August 8, will each receive an enormous gift basket of breastfeeding support products including teas, nipple salves, breast pads, baby carriers, and much, much more. Last year’s Ultimate World Breastfeeding Week giveaway had over 19,000 entries and the sponsors anticipate having even more this year!
In keeping with the theme of the week, Fairhaven Health plans to host contests and giveaways on their Belly to Breast Facebook page where Facebookers can enter to win natural breastfeeding support products like:
- Nursing Blend: A doctor-designed breastfeeding supplement that offers optimal vitamin and mineral support for breastfeeding women, and helps increase milk production.
- Nipple Nurture Balm: An organic, all-natural nipple balm designed to soothe, protect, and heal sore or cracked nipples.
- Fenugreek: A concentrated, all-natural Fenugreek supplement designed to help increase breast milk production.
- Nursing Time Tea: A natural nursing tea to help increase breast milk quality and quantity.
- Nursing Postnatal: A comprehensive postnatal multivitamin designed to meet the unique nutritional needs to breastfeeding women.
World Breastfeeding Week also brings The Big Latch On, a global event where women and their children come together to breastfeed for one minute. The goal of the event is to break the record for the number of women breastfeeding simultaneously. Last year’s record to break: 8,862 women and their children. Valuing supporting breastfeeding mothers, Fairhaven Health is working with numerous local organizations to supply breastfeeding support products for Big Latch On events across the country and encouraging online events and interactions that raise awareness of breastfeeding around the world.
For a full list of this year’s events, visit worldbreastfeedingweek.org.
About World Breastfeeding Week
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) was formed in 1991 to act on the Innocenti Declaration passed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The declaration recognizes that breastfeeding is a unique process that provides ideal nutrition to infants, contributes to healthy infant growth and development, reduces disease, contributes to women’s health, provides social and economic benefits, and provides women with a sense of satisfaction. World Breastfeeding Week, launched on August 1, 1992, is WABA’s main global campaign to support and promote breastfeeding, and commemorates the adoption of the Innocenti Declaration.
