By: Katie Schroeder and Beth Olson
August is National Breastfeeding Month! In 2011 this month was declared National Breastfeeding Month to promote the healthy practice of breastfeeding/chest-feeding and establish its potential benefits for families. Breastfeeding and chest-feeding are the act of feeding a child from the body. Chest-feeding is a term that is more gender-neutral and therefore preferred by some parents. The intention in celebrating this month is to spark conversations that will create a more informed and supportive culture surrounding the practice of breastfeeding within different communities nationwide.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Nourish, Sustain, Thrive”. These three words were chosen with intentionality to represent some of the impressive health outcomes for parents and the children they feed. Breastfeeding/chest-feeding is a practice that can greatly improve long-term health outcomes for both parent and child and is recommended by health professionals for almost all babies. Although it is possible for many babies to be breastfed, some families cannot choose this method of feeding due to significant barriers that some families face that are very challenging to overcome. The purpose of this month is not only to encourage people to breastfeed/chest-feed their children, but also to educate those who may not be aware of the benefits. Breastfeeding/chest-feeding can make such a positive difference in a child’s growth and health outcomes.
This year, the observations for the next six weeks will include:
August 1-7 (Week 1): World Breastfeeding Week
- The focus of this week is to close the gap, making breastfeeding accessible to all.
- Created as a result of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Promotion of not only breastfeeding, but of breastfeeding supports.
August 8-14 (Week 2): Indigenous Milk Medicine Week
- The focus is to encourage breastfeeding/chest-feeding in Native American communities.
- Click here for more information and events during Indigenous Milk Medicine Week.
August 15-21 (Week 3): Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week
- Created in 2021 by a special task force that focuses specifically on this group and encourages breastfeeding/chest-feeding within it.
- Emphasis on highlighting the cultural and historic significance of breastfeeding within these communities.
August 25-31 (Week 4): Black Breastfeeding Month
- The 2024 theme is “Listen Up!”, meant to encourage the reclamation of cultural and community breastfeeding narratives.
September 1-7 (Week 5): Workplace Lactation Week
- This year, the celebrations are extending to September to include even more groups that may be breastfeeding.
- This week celebrates working parents and the challenges they face to pump and breastfeed/chest-feed in the workplace or while maintaining jobs.
- This week falls over Labor Day intentionally to highlight the contributions that parents (especially breastfeeding parents) make to the workforce.
September 3-9 (Week 6): Semana de La Lactancia Latina
- In 2023 was created by the Latinx Lactation collective.
- The purpose in celebrating this week is to shine light on the unique struggles that those in the Latinx community may face when it comes to breastfeeding and to highlight the breastfeeding/chest-feeding stories and experiences of those in the community.
More information about the six weeks of awareness and education as well as breastfeeding/chest-feeding in general can be found here.