World Breastfeeding Week

Breastfeeding should be a given for every new mom. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and there are many reasons why. If we set aside the small percentage of mothers who truly cannot breastfeed, it is a great shame that breastfeeding is not seen more often. Fortunately, there are many organizations, lactation consultants, and also World Breastfeeding Week, which raise awareness and bring breastfeeding back into everyday life.

When World Breastfeeding Week takes place

World Breastfeeding Week takes place during the first week in August and is celebrated in more than 170 countries around the world. Here, National Breastfeeding Week is also celebrated, and it takes place in September. 

Why this week is important

Supporting breastfeeding mothers and breastfeeding itself is very important today. After a baby is born, mothers are often overwhelmed by the question of whether they breastfeed, and if they do not, they are judged or, in the opposite case, urged that if they prefer formula, it will be more convenient, they will sleep better, they will not have to expose themselves in public, etc. Later, when the child is older—six months, one year, a year and a half, two years—people around them are again troubled by the question of why they are still breastfeeding, saying that the child is already too old for it. Let’s be honest, it is not easy to accommodate everyone, but the most important thing is that it is between the mother and her child, and only those two can speak into it. 

The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until the child is two years old. Some children wean earlier, while others need to be breastfed even after starting preschool. It is a very individual and at the same time intimate matter, into which no outsider should interfere. The goal of World Breastfeeding Week is therefore to support breastfeeding and improve children’s health around the world.  

Breastfeeding should not be secondary

In the past, support for breastfeeding was not as strong as it is, fortunately, today, and so many mothers did not breastfeed their children at all, or only for a few days, weeks, or months before switching to formula, because that was simply how things were done. Breastfeeding in public was not visible, and if a mother did happen to do it, a wave of negative reactions would immediately follow. 

World Breastfeeding Week opens up the topic of breastfeeding, supports breastfeeding mothers, points out that breastfeeding a child is okay at any age and, above all, that any woman can breastfeed regardless of age, breast shape, or breast size. 

So it is necessary to want to breastfeed your baby, know how not to ruin breastfeeding at the start, and if problems arise, turn to a lactation consultant. 

Breastfeeding is great because

• it costs nothing and is also eco-friendly;
• the breast is always available, and the milk always has the ideal temperature and taste;
• it is the most common way to get children to sleep;
• when a child is ill or teething, breastfeeding helps greatly to relieve pain and discomfort;
• if a child refuses their first solid foods, you can always offer breast milk as an alternative;
• breast milk contains antibodies that protect the child against various infections;
• it helps prevent SIDS;
• after childbirth, it helps the woman’s uterus contract more quickly and reduces postpartum bleeding;
• and many other benefits.

So don’t give up on breastfeeding if it doesn’t go well at the beginning. Breastfeed for as long as your child needs. And support other mothers in breastfeeding, because only thanks to that will breastfeeding once again become part of most families.