Celebrate breastfeeding this month and every month

August 4, 11:24 AMBaby and Toddler ExaminerDarby Herrington

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     August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month

August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week and this month is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month.  There is no time like the present to celebrate a mother's choice to give her baby the best start to a long and healthy life. 

The benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child are endless.  There are also many economical and environmental benefits to society that most people fail to consider.  Those who are fully informed on the subject should have no problem with a woman breastfeeding her baby in public.   It is, after all, a win-win situation for everyone, everywhere.

Even though the entire world acknowledges and supports breastfeeding this week, why is it not truly celebrated among all sectors of society?  Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to breastfeeding as being indecent.  

Breastfeeding mothers continue to be confronted with unsettling adversity and public disdain for only doing what is natural and best for their babies' health and welfare.  They have been kicked off airplanes, escorted out of stores and "politely" requested to remove themselves to a more private area in restaurants and other public settings. 

Read my article "You may breastfeed in public, but please cover up" for more about these stories and the ongoing discussion about breastfeeding in public. 

We have come a long way in supporting breastfeeding in public by making it a legal right in most states.  But we still have a long way to go.  Show your support this month and every month by becoming informed and by reaching out to public officials to begin breastfeeding awareness education campaigns in your state, like California, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Vermont. 

And the next time you see a woman breastfeeding her child, do not look away - look her right in the eye and smile to let her know you appreciate what she is doing for her baby and the world.

For more on breastfeeding, read more of my articles on the topic HERE.

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