“Breastfeeding can reduce your baby’s risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), respiratory illnesses, allergies, asthma, obesity, diarrhea, ear infections, and other illnesses”, said Dr. Ruppert. In addition, local businesses support mothers needing to nurse in public, employers support their breastfeeding employees, and child care providers support their breastfeeding families. San Juan County has the highest rate in Washington State of women initiating breastfeeding at birth, a statistic to be proud of.
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1-7, is a time to recognize that breastfeeding provides ideal nutrition for infants and contributes to their healthy growth and development, said Janel Rose with the Barton County Health Department. For info, call 378-4474.
With initiation of breastfeeding critical as soon as a baby is born, the Government has re-evaluated the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, initially launched in 1991 by UNICEF and WHO to ensure that all maternity hospitals, became centers of breastfeeding support and to counteract aggressive marketing of breastmilk substitutes.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has emphasised breastfeeding and homemade foods for infants at mothers’ workplaces.
House Resolution 429, which Daley and Parker co-sponsored and which was unanimously approved by the House in July, designates the first week of August to raise awareness of the health benefits of breastfeeding.
We also have a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program in which moms are specifically employed to educate and encourage the prenatal and breastfeeding participants of the WIC program through contacts in the WIC clinic as well as phone follow up. Working mothers with adequate maternity benefits – including a breastfeeding-supportive workplace – report increased job satisfaction and greater loyalty to their employers. This year’s theme is “Breastfeeding and Work: Let’s Make it Work!”
Baby Friendly practices include helping mothers breastfeed within one hour of childbirth, keeping newborns with mothers rather than in a nursery, avoiding pacifier use and not sending mothers home with free formula.
Recognizing these connections, the global Labour Organization has adopted three Conventions to establish protective measures for pregnant women and new mothers, including the right to continue breastfeeding – and to promote feasible options for women who are outside formal work settings.
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We know that breastfeeding improves the lives of millions of children and ultimately benefits families, communities, and societies. Together, we can help working women to breastfeed and reap the benefits for themselves, for their children, and for the health and well-being of future generations.
