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Happy World Breastfeeding Week!
Wednesday, July 29, 2020 – 10:15pm
MANA celebrates with all nations across the globe – World Breastfeeding Week!
August 1-7 commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. This is a global campaign to raise awareness and action on all things breastfeeding. This years theme is “Support Breastfeeding For A Healthier Planet”
#WBW2020 will focus on the impact of infant feeding on the environment/climate change and the imperative to protect, promote and support breastfeeding for the health of the planet and its people. Together let’s highlight the links between breastfeeding and the environment/climate change.
Did you know?
- Only 2 in 5 children in low-middle income countries are put to the breast in the first hour of life.
- Breastfeeding can be linked to all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- In the midst of this pandemic, WHO states “The numerous benefits of skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding substantially outweigh the potential risks of transmission and illness associated with COVID-19.”
- Increasing breastfeeding to near-universal levels could save more than 800,000 lives every year, the majority being children under 6 months.
- Breastfeeding decreases the risk of nursing parent developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
- It is estimated that increased breastfeeding could avert 20 000 maternal deaths each year due to breast cancer.
Midwives Alliance of North America strongly recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is at least 6 months old.
Happy World Breastfeeding Week!
Wendi Cleckner, LM, CPM, JD
Director, Division of Health Policy and Advocacy
Director, Division of States’ Advocacy
Wendi is a midwife, herbalist, lawyer and women’s rights activist. In 1993 she helped a friend in the birth of her first child and felt a passion to devote her life to moms and babies. The calling of midwifery has blessed her with travel across the world, taking her all over Asia and Africa. Wendi has been involved with solo and partnering homebirth practices in Arizona over the last 20 years. She has held in every position on the Arizona Association of Midwives serving her local midwifery community. She has actively run legislation and lobbied for and against many bills in the Arizona House and Senate. She believes in the intrinsic knowledge women hold in the ability to bring forth life and will continue to work both individually and with the community, rallying for women to give birth as they choose. To further that rallying cry, Wendi completed law school in 2018 and has a small solo practice fighting for midwives and women.
