A National Week Worth Celebrating That All Moms Will Want To Know About

There are many days in recent years that various groups want recognized, some more worthy than others.

From International T-shirt Day to National Pumpkin Seed Day and social movements looking for legitimacy in this country, it’s hard to take them all seriously (*cough* March For Our Lives *cough*).

Well, good news, there is now a global week that women can stand by proudly, and promote in good conscious.

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is August 1st through 7th, so we can tell you all about it and how to honor breastfeeding moms everywhere.

Breastfeeding is so simple, beautiful, and let’s not forget economical. The health benefits are unparalleled for mom and baby, it’s a wonder why it wouldn’t be every mom’s first choice.

Some big names are backing WBW this year, like the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, La Leche League International, and the World Health Organization just to name a few.

The theme of WBW 2018 is “Breastfeeding: Foundation of Life”, according to their official website.

Nursing is the definition of the foundation of life, it is the first sustenance a human has in this world (naturally), and is the building blocks for the rest of their life.

Countless benefits are given to your baby in breastfeeding, such as natural antibiotics and decreased chance of obesity later in life, as Mommy Underground has previously reported.

This knowledge makes this year’s WBW theme important on a basic level, but they have even gone a few steps further in explaining the worldwide benefits on the economy and humanity.

The World Breastfeeding Week press release reported:

“Optimal breastfeeding helps prevent malnutrition in all its forms with positive lifelong effects on both children and mothers. Breastfeeding is a climate-smart decision that helps ensure food security even in times of crisis. Breastfeeding improves the health and wellbeing of women and children and is the foundation of a country’s development and future. It is the great equaliser that can help break the cycle of poverty. Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding is crucial for the health of our planet and its people.”

The press release continues to show some shocking statistics on the lives that could be saved by utilizing a God-given gift that has no costs to you.

“The 823 000 child deaths, 20 000 maternal deaths, and $302 billion in economic losses each year are stark reminders of the current reality. All of these, and more, could be prevented by scaling up breastfeeding”, the release states.

It is heartbreaking that mothers could lift themselves out of poverty, and children could be saved, if only we all knew, and applied, a feeding source for our newborns that has been stigmatized.

Shaming mothers in public has undoubtedly deterred some well-meaning first-time moms from providing their babies sustenance whenever they need it.

One mom was told to cover up more or leave the restaurant when she was breastfeeding her baby in a Chick-fil-A, and she was even using a cover, as reported by Mommy Underground.

It’s not surprising that the current consumer market in America isn’t promoting breastfeeding as the best option for newborns, despite the extensive research proving such.

The formula industry is expected to reach sales of nearly 70.6 billion by next fiscal year, according to the WBW press release.

Looking at the massive profits formula companies are raking in, it seems motivations are clear for the United States opposing breastfeeding at the World Health Assembly last month, as you can read about on Mommy Underground.

We must do all we can to promote this life-saving week, in order to give our children and generations to come a better outcome in this world.

One way to promote WBW is to go to Mommy Underground’s Facebook page for breastfeeding badges and posts that you can share on social media!

Dr. Emily Kirkpatrick took the opportunity to do so herself, claiming “breastfeeding is an universal solution” on Twitter.

There are many reasons mothers will give to defend their right to use formula over breastmilk after their baby is born.

You may hear that it is too difficult to pump at work, or that they weren’t producing enough milk.

“The quantity and quality of milk production is relatively unaffected by a woman’s nutritional status, except in extremely malnourished women (only 1 percent of women)”, reveals the press release by WBW.

So, while some women do have legitimate health concerns that prevent them from nourishing their baby appropriately, it is more the perceived inconvenience of breastfeeding that holds mothers back.

Hopefully, recognition of the benefits of breastfeeding, and the worldwide acceptance of it will encourage moms everywhere to give breastfeeding a try.

Sometimes, all we need is a little morale boost, and the energy that comes from camaraderie, to propel a great idea forward.

Please let us know in the comments section how you are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week this year.