World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 - 7 August. The campaign highlights the impact of workplace support, paid leave, and emerging parenting norms on breastfeeding. Breastfeeding Week is designed to increase public awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding for a mother's health and wellness as well as the necessity of assisting mothers in continuing to breastfeed as long as they would want.

World Breastfeeding Week. Photo: iStock

“We call on all policymakers, CEOs, and managers to empower the breastfeeding employee so that she can continue to breastfeed, be able to express the milk at work, and be able to get regular breaks to be able to express for the benefit of her baby.”

“Small changes can be made in the workplace to make it possible for every lactating mother to successfully breastfeed their child up to two years,” said breastfeeding consultant, and lecturer in nursing at the University of the Free State, Vanessa Booysen.

Breastfeeding mothers should be empowered at work. Photo supplied

Breast and ovarian cancer risk is lower for women who breastfeed. Breastmilk provides all the nutrients a baby needs for the first few months of their life, it also contains antibodies that help protect against many common childhood illnesses.

Only 44% of babies are exclusively breastfed within the first six months of their life and in South Africa, the numbers are even lower as only 30% of babies get exclusively breastfed. It is important to support mothers who breastfeed in a work environment.

OFM News