By Alessandra DeMarchis-Patz
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated annually during the first week of August to raise awareness about the importance of protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding.
A mother’s own milk is globally recognized as providing optimal nutrition for a growing infant, being both immunologically and nutritionally rich, and reducing a magnitude of infant and maternal illnesses.
Recognizing the importance of breast milk to infant health and development, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends supporting a mother’s choice to exclusively breastfeed or express her own milk for the first six months of her child’s life, with continued breastfeeding up until at least 1 year of age.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted a decline in the prevalence of breastfeeding in Colorado over the first year after childbirth – in 2018 reporting only 64% of mothers still breastfeeding their infants at six months and 40% at 12 months after birth.
Community and workplace environments unsupportive of a mother’s choice to breastfeed can create barriers to achieving breastfeeding goals. Mother-baby friendly policies, such as protecting a mother’s time to pump at work and providing a clean space for pumping, can enable mothers to continue providing her own milk after returning to work.
Through the Mother-Baby Friendly Employer Project, the Southwest Colorado Breastfeeding Coalition encourages and supports local employers and businesses to support breastfeeding mothers in public spaces and workplaces. The coalition helps employers create public spaces within businesses that permit women to breastfeed in comfort and support working mothers to continue breastfeeding through policies, practices, facilities and resources that protect, promote and support breastfeeding. A window decal of the international breastfeeding symbol identifies Mother-Baby Friendly businesses in our community; a comprehensive list is available on Facebook.
While breastfeeding can come easily to some women, the majority face challenges, especially in the first few days after birth, contributing to early cessation. With COVID-19, it is more important than ever that we support mothers in our community with safe and welcoming environments conducive to breastfeeding. Many new mothers may feel they no longer have access to community breastfeeding support resources as they isolate at home with their infants during the pandemic.
The Southwest Colorado Breastfeeding Coalition’s Facebook page, as well as the San Juan Basin Public Health webpage for Women, Infants and Children, provides online resources along with a list of free community support resources. We encourage mothers to reach out for individual and community support.
As part of an effort to provide women peer and community support for their breastfeeding goals, the Southwest Colorado Breastfeeding Coalition is participating in the Colorado virtual Global BIG Latch On event at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1.
Global BIG Latch On events occur around the world each year for mothers to show their support for each other and celebrate World Breastfeeding Week. This year’s event will be held on a private online platform, and participants must register in advance. More information about the Colorado virtual Global BIG Latch On event and links to register can be found on Facebook.
For questions about the Southwest Colorado Breastfeeding Coalition, email ahdemarchis@gmail.com.
Alessandra DeMarchis-Patz, MPH, RDN and CLC, is non-metro coordinator for Advancing Breastfeeding Colorado.
