LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month— a time when mothers, health officials, and advocates from all over the world share the overall benefits of how breastmilk can help with a child's development.
In the Natural State, many health officials including UAMS Neonatologist Dr. Misty Virmani have devoted their lives to stressing the importance of breastfeeding and how it not only impacts the child but the mother as well.
"It helps reduce the incidence of problems like necrotizing enterocolitis. It reduces the risk of severe allergies, asthma, and hospitalizations for well babies at home," Dr. Virmani said. "It also improves neurodevelopmental outcomes and reduces the risks of them going on to develop some other complications of their immune system, like Crohn's disease and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis."
Breast milk can not only help with limiting the number of critical conditions newborn babies could develop, but it can also reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by about half.
When it comes to a mother's health, medical officials have reported positive effects of breastfeeding— not only mentally but physically as well.
"Breastfeeding also helps reduce the risk of going on to develop breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer. So has a lot of very, very big and profound benefits for the mother's health as well as the baby's health," Dr. Virmani described.
While there are several benefits, doctors share that breastfeeding takes patience and can come with many challenges such as clogged or plugged milk ducts, engorgements, and even mastitis.
Here's a complete list of what CDC officials say are the causes of shorter breastfeeding durations:
- Issues with lactation and latching
- Concerns about infant nutrition and weight
- Mother’s concerns about taking medications while breastfeeding
- Unsupportive work policies and lack of parental leave
- Cultural norms and lack of family support
- Unsupportive hospital practices and policies
As mothers navigate the many changes their bodies endure while breastfeeding, they also have to get accustomed to daily habits such as returning to work.
Many businesses follow state protocol that requires accommodations to be made for breastfeeding mothers but sometimes that isn't the case.
Allison Clark shared her story of how one traumatic incident at work led to a multitude of issues such as a lack of supply, clogged ducts, and uncomfortable pain. It's a story that is far too common among mothers as they return to work after having a baby.
"I was teaching in two different buildings. So while I was in this other building, they didn't have a space for me, and they told me to go pump in a restroom," Clark said. "It was just like a single stall. It was just a toilet and a sink."
Clark said that while it took a while for her to mentally recover from such a traumatizing incident, it was the support and comfort in knowing she was not the only one that kept her going.
"You're not alone, you're not the problem. You are trying to do the most natural thing you can do, which is feed your baby. There's nothing wrong with needing support in doing that and needing because it is a huge learning curve," she described.
According to Johns Hopkins University health officials, here's a complete list of important dates you should know:
- World Breastfeeding Week | |Aug. 1-7
- Indigenous Milk Medicine Week | Aug. 8-14
- Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week | Aug. 15-21
- Black Breastfeeding Week | Aug. 25-31
- Workplace Lactation Week | Sept. 1-7
- Semana de La Lactancia Latina | Sept. 5-11
Health officials suggest that if you or someone you know needs support when it comes to breastfeeding, reaching out to a lactation specialist or breastfeeding support group will help overcome problems.
You can also reach out to the National Breastfeeding Helpline at 800-994-9662.