Celebrating National Breastfeeding Month

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Reflecting on National Breastfeeding Month this August, we recognize it as a valuable opportunity for our partner Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities (BFFC) to engage with local stakeholders, promote breastfeeding support, and celebrate achievements. Here are simplified actions that our collective community undertook and that you can build upon for future observances:

Step 1: Leadership Support

Re-Proclaim Support with Your County Commissioners

  • Draft and issue a proclamation supporting breastfeeding with your county commissioners. 
  • Share this proclamation via social media and local media outlets.

Step 2: Welcoming Atmosphere

Create a Rack Card for Visitor Centers

  • Design and distribute an information card for your visitor center that celebrates your local breastfeeding-friendly community partners.
  • Email your first responders and remind them about protecting breastfeeding and the law.

Step 3: Health Leadership Support

Share WHO’s Definition of Optimal Infant Feeding

  • Share the World Health Organization’s definition of optimal infant feeding with local healthcare and community leaders through meetings, emails, and social media.
  • Definition of optimal chest/breastfeeding: Children initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life…From the age of six months, children should begin eating safe and adequate complementary foods while continuing to breastfeed for up to 2 years and beyond.  (https://bit.ly/WHO_Recommendations)

Step 4: Inform Families During Pregnancy

Host an Educational Event for Families

  • Organize an event to educate families about the benefits of breastfeeding and the risks of unnecessary formula use. 
  • Post daily/weekly breastfeeding facts or anticipatory guidance to group’s social media 

Step 6: Community Lactation Support

Digitally Update Your Resource Guide

  • Update your community lactation support resource guide and share it digitally with your support providers via email.
  • Go out for drinks with all your local support providers.

Step 7: Welcoming Businesses

Encourage Local Businesses to Support Breastfeeding

  • Reach out to local businesses through email, text messages, phone calls, and snail mail, asking them to become community partners and display “Breastfeeding Welcome” signs.

Step 10: Educational Inclusion

Share Breastfeeding-Friendly Curricula with Childcare Providers

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