Breastfeeding Awareness

Governor Jennifer Granholm has declared August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month in Michigan. On a grander scale, communities around the world will celebrate World Breastfeeding Week from August 1 - August 7.

Linda Wieser writes the following, with, as you would expect, my own comments added:

...if, as a society, we are promoting good health, we need to promote and support breastfeeding. Human babies are born with very immature immune systems and depend on their mother's milk to provide them with the immune factors they need to fight infection. In fact, half the ingredients in breast milk are food for the baby's growth and development, and the other half are immune factors! It's like food and vaccine all in one package. That's why babies who do not breastfeed have a higher risk of ear infections, respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, bacterial meningitis, and urinary tract infections.
I suggest that, this August, all of us take a minute to decide how we can support breastfeeding families. If we know pregnant women, we can share with them the risks of not breastfeeding so they can make an informed choice. (edited by yours truly to add: Then again, let's not get preachy considering there are situations such as adoption where breastfeeding is not a viable option...) In public businesses, we can welcome breastfeeding mothers to feed their babies whenever they are hungry. (edited once again to add: Specifically, we'd like a clean, private place where the more modest of us can nurse without feeling like a side show!!!) If we are employers, we can support our employees by providing a private space and sufficient breaks to breastfeed or pump. We will not be doing this because it's the latest fad, but because supporting and protecting breastfeeding is the healthy choice for the child, mother, and society.