Las Vegas Urban League WIC Advises Parents to Follow Guidelines During National Breastfeeding Month

LAS VEGAS - July 31, 2023 - PRLog -- The U.S. Breast Feeding Committee officially declared August as National Breastfeeding Month (NBM) in 2011. This year marks the 13th Annual Breastfeeding Month with the theme "This is Our Why."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 1 in 4 infants are exclusively breastfed, as recommended by the time they are 6 months old. Low rates of such breastfeeding contribute to more than $3 billion a year in medical costs for mothers and children in the United States.

"There are many benefits for infants who are breastfed," Semaj Bruce, Breast-feeding Program Coordinator IBCLC at the Las Vegas Urban League Women, Infants and Children Program, said. "Infants who are breastfed have reduced risks of asthma, obesity, Type 1 diabetes, severe lower-respiratory disease, ear infections, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and gastrointestinal infections. Mothers who breastfeed also lower their risks of high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer and breast cancer."

Mothers need support throughout their breastfeeding because it's estimated that 60 percent of mothers stop breastfeeding sooner than planned. Factors contributing to this decline include lack of education and encouragement, negative workplace policies or support and lack of access to community support.

"The time from birth until a child's second birthday is critically important for proper growth and development," Bruce said. "During this period, nutrients in mother's milk are critical for a child's proper brain development."

Exclusive human breastfeeding is one of the best ways to start an infant off on the path of lifelong healthy nutrition. Human milk can support an infant's nutrient needs for the first six months of life. Additionally, human milk has bioactive substances and immunological properties that support an infant's health and growth development.

For more information on the benefits of breastfeeding or to schedule a consultation with one of our nutrition counselors, visit Las Vegas Urban League WIC at http://www.wiclv.org or its two convenient locations: 6480 W. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas, phone (702) 227-1573 or 3320 E. Flamingo Road, Suite 50, Las Vegas, phone (702) 476-9561.

The Las Vegas Urban League Women, Infants and Children Program is a 501c (3) program that is funded by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health.