World Breastfeeding Week is finally here, and we’ve rounded up some breastfeeding news from all over the world to celebrate! These articles highlight the importance of breastfeeding, whether it be company support, policy issues, or breastfeeding dresses, we have a lot to share with you!
Target allows breastfeeding anywhere in store:
Target wants all their customers to feel like they are welcome and at home – including those that choose to breastfeed. They are revamping their policies and stores specifically to make breastfeeding customers more comfortable.
Guests who would like to breastfeed in the store are explicitly allowed to do so, which is a big step in normalizing breastfeeding in public. For women who prefer to breastfeed in private, Target plans to include nursing rooms in all locations as they remodel their stores nationwide.
To read more, click here: Target
Induced Lactation in Global News:
A same-sex couple with twins went viral for sharing a photo of both of them breastfeeding their babies. Jaclyn and Kelly Pfeiffer both provide breastmilk for their babies, even though Kelly was the one who had carried the babies. How? Induced lactation.
Induced lactation is when a woman is able to make breastmilk despite not being pregnant or giving birth. Woman can create breastmilk by the stimulation of a baby suckling on a breast or with hormone therapy to mimic pregnancy.
Hopefully this viral photo will help bring attention to this new way to provide ideal nutrition to children, whether carried by their mother or adopted.
To read more about the Pfeiffer family, click here: Induced Lactation
Immigration Policy is a Breastfeeding Issue
A doctor who recently visited a US Border Patrol detention facility claimed that breastfeeding mothers held there aren’t receiving nearly enough the amount of water they need, nor are babies getting enough food.
Mothers who breastfeed should drink at least 3 liters of water a day, and the nursing mothers at this facility are only receiving 1.5 liters a day. This is putting the infants health at risk with not enough supplies for the mother to produce the best nutrition for their children.
Read more about the conditions affecting breastfeeding in the facility here: Malnourished
The Cost of Not Breastfeeding? $1 Billion Lost Every Day
According to a recent analysis, low levels of breastfeeding costs the global economy nearly $1 billion each day.
Based on six years of data collected in more than 100 countries, this calculation factors both healthcare costs and lost productivity worldwide. By publicizing this information, the child nutrition initiative Alive & Thrive hopes to help policymakers understand the impact of supporting breastfeeding—or not supporting it.
In light of this data, the researchers hope that more nations will implement policies that protect the rights of nursing mothers in the workplace, limit baby formula marketing, and generally promote breastfeeding.
To learn more about this new tool and its impact, read here: $1 Billion
Local Moms Start Awareness Group
Birmingham-based Chocolate Milk Mommies (CMM) is a group that helps spread awareness of breastfeeding in their community. They emphasize that breastfeeding is not dirty or shameful and that it is a mother’s choice.
Despite the many known benefits of breastfeeding, African American Mothers have the lowest rate of breastfeeding initiation and duration. According to the CDC, the percentage of African American women who initiated breastfeeding was only 64.3 percent. Groups like CMM help promote breastfeeding in these communities.
The CMM Facebook group has a growing total of 870 members and holds daily forums through which women can discuss the difficulties of mothering and the experiences of breastfeeding.
To read more about CMM and the members, read here: CMM
Coast Guard Moms Reimbursed for Shipping Breastmilk
Exciting news for breastfeeding Coast Guard members was announced earlier this summer. Many enlisted Coast Guard members pump and send breastmilk home to their babies when they are underway or on official travel to ensure that their children receive the best nutrition possible. These women will now have the help of a program to pay for those shipping costs.
The program, funded by Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, will pay up to 750$ a year per household for shipping, available to all active duty personnel, Pubic Health Services officers and Navy chaplains detailed to the Coast Guard, reserve members on active duty status, spouses on business travel and Coast Guard Civilian employees.
To read more about groundbreaking changes for families in the Coast Guard, read here: Reimbursement
Did we miss any essential stories? Drop your breastfeeding news in the comments below!
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