National Breastfeeding Month

Though August is known for back-to-school adventures and fun, it is also known and celebrated as National Breastfeeding Month where we as a country protect, promote and advocate for all breast-feeding individuals. This celebration was officially declared on August 6, 2011, by the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee and has remained a month where organizations educate and increase awareness to the benefits of breastfeeding. This year’s theme showcases the importance of paid leave, workplace support, and finding parental norms in breastfeeding through community engagement. Breast feeding has a number of health benefits that serve both mother and child. For mothers, breastfeeding can support postpartum weight loss, can help to combat type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and even cardiovascular disease. For children, in addition to its nutritional importance, it is known to lower risk of ear infections as well as long-term effects in reducing the incidence of obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and celiac disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 84% of Texas-born babies in 2019 began breastfeeding, but only 54% continued to the age of 6 months. Even considering the positive impact that breastfeeding can provide, rates of continuation decrease because many parents still experience obstacles to achieving their breastfeeding goals. These obstacles can include individual experiences, societal factors such as workplace and parental leave policies, access to lactation guidance, or even lack of family member support. Taking these factors into account, certain laws and provisions have now been implemented to increase accommodations for continual breastfeeding in the workplace.

In celebration of this month, we as a nation should continue these practices into every month of the year so that individuals who breastfeed feel supported and included while carrying on this great endeavor. For additional resources on the benefits of breastfeeding, the protective laws implemented, and events surrounding National Breastfeeding Month, visit the resources below:

• https://www.usbreastfeeding.org/
• https://www.hhs.texas.gov/
• https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-overview/
• https://www.aafp.org/family-physician/patient-care/prevention-wellness/birth-control-pregnancy-childbirth/breastfeeding.html