Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week
[By Stephanie Avienu, BS, IBCLC, Breastfeeding Specialist, St. Peter’s Health Partners Community Health Programs.]
Every year, from August 1 through 7, we celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, a time to focus on the promotion of the health and wellness benefits of human milk feeding for lactating parents and their infants.
This Year’s Theme
This year’s theme is “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All.” According to World Breastfeeding Week, #WBW2024 will focus on survival, health, and well-being, showcasing the need to improve breastfeeding support to reduce inequalities in our society, especially during emergencies and crises.
Community Health Initiatives
This theme aligns closely with our goals at St. Peter’s Health Partners through the Breastfeeding, Chestfeeding and Lactation Friendly NY grant, which aims to improve community health by reducing ethnic and racial disparities through increased breastfeeding support.
Health Benefits of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding has many well-documented benefits for both infants and breastfeeding parents. Infants who are breastfed have a reduced risk of diabetes, childhood obesity, asthma, and gastrointestinal illness. For breastfeeding parents, there is a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and ovarian cancer.
Most of these benefits are “dose-related,” meaning the longer you breastfeed exclusively, the greater the benefits. However, worldwide, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months is only 48%, and in the U.S., it falls around 25%. Public health professionals are working to increase these numbers by expanding access to both professional and peer support.
Baby Cafés and Support Groups
Our Baby Cafés located throughout the Capital Region are supported by our Community Health Programs, offering opportunities for parents to access free, professional lactation care while building relationships with other chestfeeding parents.
We host weekly groups in Troy at Samaritan Hospital – St. Mary’s Campus on Wednesdays from 12 to 2 p.m., and in Albany at The Collaboratory on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We also have Baby Cafés in Petersburgh, Mechanicville, Schenectady, and a “pop-up” location in Stephentown. No pre-registration is required, and we welcome families at every stage of their breastfeeding journey, including prenatally. To learn more about the hours and locations of all Baby Cafés, visit Baby Cafés.
Events for World Breastfeeding Week
This year, for World Breastfeeding Week, we are hosting and participating in various events to celebrate and advocate for families striving to give their children the best possible start in life. We also aim to educate the public on the benefits of breastfeeding and the risks associated with premature weaning. For more information about these events, breastfeeding, and other community wellness programs, please visit Health Programs.
Stay Connected
We encourage you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @CapitalRegionBabyCafes for the latest updates. Happy World Breastfeeding Week!
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