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About | World Breastfeeding Week | National Breastfeeding Month | Indigenous Milk Medicine Week | Asian American Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week | Black Breastfeeding Week | General

Due to a historic recall of some forms of infant formula, there is now a nationwide shortage in the United States. As the nation grapples with the immediate and present impact of this emergency, we need to do everything we can to support infant food security, including access to infant formula, and ensuring access to lactation support, supplies, accommodations and donor milk. While we celebrate breastfeeding this August, we hold space for ALL infant feeding journeys.

About

This Inspiration Guide is a living document, providing an open-source, unbranded library of content for a community of organizations using social media to promote, protect and support breastfeeding for World Breastfeeding Week (August 1 – 7), National Breastfeeding Month (U.S. - August) and beyond.

To learn more about World Breastfeeding Week, visit WABA. To learn more about National Breastfeeding Month and their 2022 theme Together We Do Great Things, visit USBC.

How to use:

The messaging included within this inspiration guide is meant to be used throughout the month of August across social platforms, along with the proposed graphics and/or other general breastfeeding imagery. Additionally, each graphic within this guide is downloadable. In order to save, right click and select Save As.

We've included both general breastfeeding content as well as messaging geared towards specific topics, depending on the weekly schedule.

Access the guides from 2021, 2020 and 2019 here.

Source: Adobe Stock

World Breastfeeding Week

Theme: Step up for Breastfeeding – Educate and Support

Organizers: World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA)

Messages:

  • Scaling up breastfeeding support is vital to saving children from malnutrition. Breastfeeding lays the foundation for moms, babies and families to survive and thrive.
  • Women need support from all levels - health care professionals, the workplace, their communities and beyond - to meet their breastfeeding goals.
  • Protecting breastfeeding is one of the best investments for saving lives and improving the health, social and economic development of individuals and nations.
  • We call upon governments and donors around the 🌍 to invest in policies that scale-up and support #breastfeeding🤱 Use the new #CostOfNotBreastfeeding tool to discover the potential health, human and economic benefits your country stands to gain. [link to the Cost of Not Breastfeeding Tool]
  • Even though breastfeeding is the best way to protect newborns from malnutrition, infections, and disease, only 44% of babies around the world are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of their lives. Mothers who would like to breastfeed need access to support and counseling across the #WarmChain to be successful #WBW2022
  • One-to-one and group breastfeeding counseling helps mothers overcome breastfeeding obstacles and provides mothers with the support they need to reach their breastfeeding goals #educateandsupport #WBW2022
  • By scaling up quality breastfeeding promotion and support, all #WarmChain actors have the power to improve nutrition and health outcomes for mothers and newborns #stepupforbreastfeeding
  • Policymakers must allocate a sufficient budget for proper breastfeeding education and training. This helps to ensure all health facilities have enough trained healthcare providers at all levels to support quality breastfeeding care and counselling #educateandsupport #WBW2022

Graphics: Find graphics developed by WABA here.

Hashtags: #WBW2022, #WABA, #breastfeeding, #SDGs, #worldbreastfeedingweek2022, #buildingbackbetter, #stepupforbreastfeeding, #educateandsupport, #WarmChain

Additional Resources:

Source: © UNICEF/UN065182/Phelps
Source: United States Breastfeeding Committee

2022 National Breastfeeding Month Theme

Theme: Together We Do Great Things!

Learn more here.

  • August is National Breastfeeding Month, and this year’s theme is “Together We Do Great Things.” Learn how you can join the celebration of collaborative power and take action to support human milk feeding and breastfeeding families at https://bit.ly/USBCNBM22 #NBM22
  • The 2022 National Breastfeeding Month theme, Together We Do Great Things, is a celebration of the power and impact of our collective effort. https://bit.ly/USBCNBM22 #NBM22
  • National Breastfeeding Month is just one of many events and celebrations each August working to eliminate the barriers to human milk feeding. Learn more about weekly observances during the month and their organizers: https://bit.ly/USBCNBM2 #NBM22
  • When we speak together, our voices are amplified! Learn how you can take action to support human milk feeding families #EveryStepOfTheWay during National Breastfeeding Month: https://bit.ly/USBCNBM21 #NBM21

Organizers: United States Breastfeeding Committee

Graphics:

Hashtags: #NBM22

Additional Resources:

California Breastfeeding Coalition's NBM Toolkit

Source: W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Indigenous Milk Medicine Week

Theme: Strengthening Our Traditions From Birth and Beyond

Organizers: Indigenous Milk Medicine Collective

Messages:

Join @1000Days and @natwicassoc LIVE on August 9th at 1PM EST! The first panel discussion in the National Breastfeeding Month series will be in honor of indigenous breastfeeding! RSVP here: bit.ly/NBMPanel #NBM22 [Use with panel discussion graphic]

More to come!

Graphics: More to come!

Artwork by Kawahine Danner.

Hashtags:#IMMW2022 #IndigenousMilkMedicineWeek #IndigenousMilkMedicine #NativeBreastfeedingWeek

Source: Adobe Stock

Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week

Theme: Telling Our Own Stories. Elevating Our Voices

Organizers: Asian & Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Task Force

Messages:

August 16th, 1PM ET! Join @1000Days and @natwicassoc for the next LIVE panel discussion on AANHPI Breastfeeding! RSVP here: bit.ly/NBMPanel #NBM22 [use with panel discussion graphic]

More to come!

Graphics: More to come!

Hashtags: #AANHPIBreastfeedingWeek

Source: United States Breastfeeding Committee

Black Breastfeeding Week

Theme: BBW 2022: 10 Years, A New Foundation

Organizers: Black Breastfeeding Week

Messages:

The last installment of the National Breastfeeding Month Panel Discussion series will be on #BlackBreastfeeding! Join @1000Days and @natwicassoc LIVE on August 30th at 1PM ET! RSVP here: bit.ly/NBMPanel #NBM22 [use with panel discussion graphic]

More to come!

Graphics: More to come!

Hashtags: #BBW10Years #blackbreastfeedingweek #BBW22

Source: © UNICEF/UN046138/Kljajo

General

Messages: 

Health Benefits of Breastfeeding

  • Breastfeeding is unmatched for both mom and baby! 👶🏽 For babies: breastmilk is protection from illness and disease, now and in the future. 🤱🏽 For moms: breastfeeding protects from high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.
  • From the day a baby is born, breastfeeding gives them the very best start to life—and the benefits reach far into the future. Breastmilk is tailor-made for babies, providing all the vitamins, proteins, and fats that they need for the first six months! Breastmilk also provides powerful antibodies that fight off illness and build babies’ immunity as well as probiotics that aid a baby’s digestion and help build a healthy digestive tract.
  • From the very beginning, breastfeeding provides infants with optimal nutrition. Breastmilk is packed with antibodies, stem cells & other unique properties that build babies’ immunity.
  • Breastmilk fuels brain development, protects against disease and illness and sets a child upon a path toward better health and a more prosperous future.
  • The nutrition baby gets from mom through her diet in pregnancy and while breastfeeding is the fuel that drives much of the brain’s early incredible transformation.
  • When it comes to brain development, breastmilk is nature’s superfood.
  • We all know there are numerous health benefits for babies when it comes to breastfeeding. But what about women and breastfeeding people? While breastfeeding provides nutrients to support the growth of babies, studies show that some cancers, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure are less common among women who breastfeed.

Breastfeeding Supports

  • Access to paid leave helps provide women with the time they need to establish and continue breastfeeding, benefiting the health of families.
  • No mother should have to choose between providing for her family economically or offering nourishment for her baby through breastfeeding.
  • When it comes to giving babies the healthiest start to life, breastfeeding is unmatched. But too many women face too many barriers to breastfeeding. This must change.
  • Families need support to nourish their little ones.
  • Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding is a shared responsibility. Everyone has a role to play.
  • Supporting mothers to breastfeed throughout the 1,000-day window is critical to creating an environment that empowers all women to breastfeed.
  • When women are informed, empowered and supported to breastfeed, the benefits extend to their children, to themselves and to society, as a whole.

Misc

  • Breastfeeding lays the foundation for moms and babies to survive and thrive.
  • We all have a role to play in supporting breastfeeding.
  • Breastfeeding is life-saving, cost-effective and fundamental to building a healthier world.
  • Breastfeeding is no easy feat—and when combined with the additional challenges that families face during emergencies, it can seem nearly impossible. But it IS possible with the right information and support.
  • Breastfeeding is a universal solution that gives everyone a fair start in life.
  • During a national disaster, breastfeeding is the safest way to feed an infant. But the stress and chaos of an emergency may lead to many questions on the best way to feed little ones. Check out the CDC’s guide on infant feeding in emergencies for more. [Link to CDC IYCF-E Toolkit]
  • Proper storage and preparation can maintain the safety and quality of breastmilk for a baby's health. But keeping track of things can be confusing! Here are some general guidelines for storing human milk. [Use with human milk storage graphic]

Social Graphics:

If you have additional resources you would like to be included in the Inspiration Guide, reach out to Allyson Garner Spencer, Associate Director of Communications at 1,000 Days – agarner@fhisolutions.org

Source: UNICEF/UN0135585/Selaam

Credits:

Created with images by pikselstock - "Mother Breastfeeding Baby At Home " • bernardbodo - "Smiling woman breastfeeding her baby"