World Breastfeeding Week and National (US) Breastfeeding Month takes place every year in August. And because it seems like this topic raises more and more awareness as time passes, we wanted to use our platform to highlight it as well. It is 2021, and unfortunately, people who breastfeed are still stigmatized, shamed, or sidelined when feeding their infants, especially in public. We hope one day, all taboos can be removed and mothers are able to practice and talk about breastfeeding as openly as they wish.
Since 2011, the month of August can be seen as motivation for member organizations, breastfeeding coalitions, partner organizations, health care professionals, and individuals to participate in online action and conversation about the policy and practice changes needed to build a landscape of breastfeeding support.
World Breastfeeding Week and Month aim to highlight the huge benefits that breastfeeding can bring to both the health and welfare of babies, as well as a wider push for maternal health, focusing on good nutrition, poverty reduction, and food security. Pregnancy and lactation are especially vulnerable times for working women and their families. Expectant and nursing mothers require special protection to prevent harm to their or their infants’ health, and they need adequate time to give birth, recover, and nurse their children. At the same time, they also require protection to ensure that their jobs are not jeopardized because of pregnancy or maternity leave.
The event is organized every year by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), a global network that aims to protect, promote and support breastfeeding around the world. Along the way, it works with the World Health Organization and Unicef to get its aid to the right people in the right communities.
Of course, there are many different demands on busy mothers, meaning that women who may want to breastfeed their babies haven’t always got the support to continue this. Busy working schedules, alongside the many other challenges that modern women face, can mean that women don’t always feel that breastfeeding their child is something that is an accessible option to them.
Therefore, breastfeeding weeks aim to raise awareness of the health and wellbeing outcomes of breastfeeding and the importance of supporting mothers to breastfeed for as long as they wish. Helpful on that matter are not only organizations and professionals, but also each mother who breastfeeds in public, talks about it with family and friends or on social media.
Here are some incredible women who use their platforms to openly share their intimate moments with their children and therefore help normalize breastfeeding. (We are aware that breastfeeding looks and feels different for everyone, and is probably usually not that glamorous and stylish. However, these pictures are simply great to look at.)
