World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and galvanize action on themes related to breastfeeding. WBW launched in 1992 to generate public awareness and support for breastfeeding. WBW is officially celebrated on August 1-7 every year.
Additionally, WBW kicks off National Breastfeeding Month (NBM), a month of breastfeeding celebration and awareness that runs from August 1 through September 11. This year’s NBM theme, This Is Our Why, celebrates breastfeeding parents and all who work to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.
Throughout the month, specific weeks are dedicated to bringing awareness and support to breastfeeding parents everywhere. These are observed to emphasize the diversity of breastfeeding and how support must be inclusive for all parents to feel empowered.
- Week 1 (August 1-7): World Breastfeeding Week; World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA)
- Theme: Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a difference for working parents
- Week 2 (August 8-14): Indigenous Milk Medicine Week
- Theme: From the Stars to a Sustainable Future
- Week 3 (August 15-21): Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week
- Theme: Telling Our Stories, Elevating Our Voices!
- Week 4 (August 25-31): Black Breastfeeding Week
- Theme: We Outside!: Celebrating Connection & Our Communities
- New Week 5 (September 5-11): Lactancia Latina
- Theme: to be announced…
Raise Awareness About Breastfeeding and How WIC Can Help
Breastfeeding is a priority in the Woman, Infants and Children (WIC) Program. WIC encourages and supports participants in their breastfeeding journey by providing access to educational resources, lactation specialists, peer counselors, free breast pumps, and other supplies based on needs. The most recent WIC Breastfeeding Data Local Agency Report showed the percentage of breastfed infants has increased every year since 2010, reflecting the quality of support and services that WIC state and local agencies provide. In New York State, 48% of WIC’s infants were breastfed in 2021, compared to the national average of 34%.
During World Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Month, join us in raising awareness of WIC’s breastfeeding support services. Additionally, WIC local agencies in New York have organized several events, ranging from fairs to trivia nights, that will be free and open to the public throughout National Breastfeeding Month. For outreach materials that you can share on your social media channels and beyond, head to Hunger Solutions New York’s WIC Resource Center or USDA’s World Breastfeeding Week Page.
USDA’s WIC Breastfeeding Campaign and Formative Research Findings
WIC Breastfeeding Support – Learn Together. Grow Together is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s breastfeeding promotion and support campaign for WIC. Formative research findings for this campaign outline several key insights on topics related to breastfeeding and WIC’s breastfeeding support services, including barriers, program delivery, connecting with WIC participants, and more. For example, the findings show that while WIC participants understand the advantages of breastfeeding, they benefit greatly from WIC’s support to boost skills and confidence. Additionally, some breastfeeding individuals find it to be harder than expected, underscoring the importance of caring and knowledgeable support. Read more about these findings and how you can use them to shape your breastfeeding education and outreach efforts.
