Celebrating Moms and Working Mothers Around the Panhandle with World Breastfeeding Week, Aug. 1-7

The World Breastfeeding Week is August 1-7, 2021. Join us in celebrating this week by supporting moms and working mothers around the Panhandle.

Breastfeeding is one of the best investments for healthier moms, babies, families, organizations, and communities.

Breastfeeding babies have:

• Stronger immune systems

• Fewer colds and respiratory illnesses

• Fewer ear infections

• Fewer cases of bacterial meningitis

• Better vision

• Lower rates of infant mortality

• Lower rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

• Less illness overall and less hospitalization

• Parents have up to six times less absenteeism from work.

Breast milk is the perfect nutrition for the baby as it contains the best combination of ingredients for a strong immune system and overall growth and development especially during the first six months of the child’s life. It contains the perfect blend of nutrients, fat, and protein for your baby to grow at just the right rate. As time passes and the baby grows, the milk changes to meet the new nutritional requirements.

Research shows the child’s immune system will not be fully mature for many years. While the child is developing, they will be protected by being breastfed.

Many medical organizations strongly recommend breastfeeding for the baby, but there are many benefits to the mother.

Mothers that breastfeed return to their pre-pregnancy weight sooner and have lower rates of breast, cervical, ovarian and uterine cancer. Breastfeeding helps the uterus return to normal and decreases blood loss after the baby is born. Each mother and baby are unique, and the decision to breastfeed is up to the mother.

“The bonding and nourishment while breastfeeding is a gift that lasts a lifetime,” said Dezarae Brandt, PPHD Healthy Families Program Manager.

Employers benefit too! Many employers do not realize that breastfeeding can save money. Employer benefits for supporting breastfeeding employees include:

• Breastfeeding employees miss work less often because breastfed infants are healthier.

• Breastfeeding lowers health care costs.

• Breastfeeding support helps employers keep their best employees so that less money is spent hiring and training new employees.

• Breastfeeding employees who are supported in the workplace report higher productivity and loyalty.

• Supporting breastfeeding employees creates a positive public image.

To learn more about the Panhandle Public Health District’s (PPHD) Healthy Families program and how your organization can benefit from supporting breastfeeding, please join us for our monthly Panhandle Worksite Wellness Council (PWWC) wellness chat on August 12th at 2 pm. During this call, we will highlight the Healthy Families program and discuss the importance of breastfeeding. If you are interested in joining this wellness chat, please contact Nicole Berosek at [email protected].

For additional information about worksite wellness, visit http://www.pphd.org/pwwc.html or call Berosek at 308-262-2217. The Panhandle Worksite Wellness Council is proudly part of Panhandle Public Health District.

The Council specializes in supporting employers in the Panhandle region. We recognize that many employers support a diverse and remote workforce and offer innovative ways to overcome the challenge of working with a virtual team. We understand that many of our employers do not have full-time wellness resources and work to provide resources and training to make running a worksite wellness program as easy as possible.

Panhandle Public Health District is working together to improve the health, safety and quality of life for all who live, learn, work and play in the Panhandle. Our vision is that we are a healthier and safer Panhandle community.

References: https://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/#; https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15274-the-benefits-of-breastfeeding-for-baby--for-mom; https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/breastfeeding/benefits-of-breastfeeding/, http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/p/cm/ld/fid=234.