The Week and the Work
Providing breast milk is an important public health issue. Beyond educating families, we need policy makers, legislators, employers and insurance companies to grasp the importance of providing breast milk.
World Breastfeeding Week, August 1st – 7th, is a specific time to honor that. This promotional week was started in 1992 by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action. Each year the focus for the week is on one of the various facets of advocacy: healthcare systems, the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, ecology, economy, science, human rights, among others.
Most recently the focus has been on sustainability. Breastfeeding is important to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations. Recent themes have been:
2016 Breastfeeding A Key to Sustainable Development
2017 Sustaining Breastfeeding Together
2018 Breastfeeding Foundation of Life
2019 Empower Parents
2020 Support Breastfeeding for a Healthier Planet.
2021 Protect Breastfeeding: a Shared Responsibility
2022 Step Up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support
In 2023, the focus of World Breastfeeding Week is “Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a difference for Working Parents”. As the WABA website notes “ Workplace challenges remain the most common reason for women to never breastfeed or stop breastfeeding earlier than recommended.
This focus on workplace aligns well with two recent legislative advances in the United States and specifically in Maine. The PUMP Act , a Federal law that was passed in December 2022, respects the value of providing breast milk for up to a year. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends providing breast milk for the first two years. The PUMP Act makes this more possible for parents who work outside the home.
The recent passage of Paid Family Leave in Maine provides support for all families making important transitions. Especially in the first fragile months postpartum, Paid Leave allows the family time to learn and make adjustments before needing to return to work. These are examples of cooperation between legislative, healthcare systems, and employers that have a positive influence on family health. Policies like these can and do make a difference.
World Breastfeeding Week is recognized in over 120 countries with educational campaigns. Breastfeeding is always important to public health and it’s also always a personal endeavor.
We aim to honor the effort that families make and to celebrate the profound value of human breast milk. For that reason, we will be posting “Droplets of Wisdom” on our Instagram and Facebook pages. This will provide useful and fascinating information for all.
We’ll post every day starting in World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), throughout the month of August, National Breastfeeding Month and continue with twice-monthly posts throughout the year. It’s a week; it’s a month, a year to learn something important for a lifetime.