Moms, Get Empowered; Breastfeed
There is probably no job more challenging, more time consuming or important than being a parent.
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) this next week are taking on a cause that makes a huge difference in the health of babies and their mothers – that of breastfeeding.
The department’s Women Infants and Children (WIC) clinics around the state will celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, the international celebration held annually, August 1-7. The celebration encourages breastfeeding, which improves the health of babies and mothers around the world.
This year's World Breastfeeding Week theme is “Breastfeeding and Work Let’s Make it Work". According to the World Breastfeeding Week website, the theme addresses a growing necessity: Whether a woman is working in the formal, non-formal or home setting, it is necessary that she is empowered in claiming her and her baby’s right to breastfeed.
Many New Mexico moms doing just that. The recently released 2014 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Breastfeeding Report Card shows New Mexico improving in three categories: Breastfeeding at six months, breastfeeding at 12 months and exclusively breastfeeding at three months. New Mexico is above the U.S. averages of moms’ breastfeeding at 12 months and exclusively at three months.
Research shows that infants who are not exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life are more likely to develop a wide range of chronic and acute diseases, including ear infections, diarrheal diseases, asthma, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, obesity and respiratory illnesses. Mothers also benefit from breastfeeding with a decreased risk for breast and ovarian cancers.
NMDOH and the CDC recommend exclusive breastfeeding for newborns up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to one year of age or beyond.
Applicants who live in New Mexico, meet the program’s income guidelines and who are at nutritional risk qualify to receive lactation education and counseling, a food package valued at about $65 per month, breast pumps, and mother-to-mother support from a peer counselor. WIC is a federally funded nutrition and education program that provides supplemental food to pregnant and breastfeeding or postpartum women, and infants and children up to five years of age.
To learn more about local events at WIC clinics, and local partners statewide, visit the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force. For more information on WIC services in New Mexico visit Women, Infants and Children.
Media Contact
We would be happy to provide additional information about this press release. Simply contact David Morgan at 575-528-5197 (Office) or 575-649-0754 (Mobile) with your questions.
Versión en Español
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