August is National Breastfeeding Month

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES, August 16, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- August is National Breastfeeding Month and REMEDY, a digital media agency in Atlanta, has launched a PSA in collaboration with the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) to demonstrate that normalizing breastfeeding in public helps infants feed easier and creates a welcoming environment for mothers and lactating people. The REMEDY team, comprised of mothers and fathers, was initially inspired to create this project based on challenging experiences in their own personal lives surrounding the topic of breastfeeding in public. The team then did their own research on lactation and breastfeeding and found that USBC was one of the foremost experts on the subject.

“The goal [of the PSA] is to hold the audience accountable for taking the next step in [using] the QR code at the end of the video, to take action in support of lactation-friendly policies and legislation, become more educated on the topic, and reflect on how we (individually) can make breastfeeding mothers feel in public,” says Jennifer Graff, director of operations at REMEDY. “When we first began internally creating the idea for this project, we knew we needed to source and partner with an expert on the subject to assist in bringing this project to life. We are so honored USBC supported this project and joined forces with us.”

The USBC is a national coalition of more than 130 organizational members representing nonprofits (national, state, local, and community), breastfeeding coalitions, federal agencies, and businesses working to protect, promote, and support human milk feeding. The nonprofit organization furthers cross-sector collaborative efforts to create the policy, system, and environmental changes that can create a landscape of breastfeeding support across the U.S. and to impact health disparities.

National Breastfeeding Month was created by the USBC in 2011 as an annual education, advocacy, and celebration opportunity. The 2024 theme of Nourish, Sustain, Thrive shines a light on on why protecting, promoting, and supporting lactation is so important for the human life cycle, honors the incredible work that organizations are doing to make the world a little more friendly for new parents and families, and highlights how individuals, funders, and policymakers can contribute to a strong and sustainable lactation field.

The first breastfeeding law was passed in New York in 1984 and, in 1992, Florida and North Carolina passed a law permitting women to breastfeed in any public or private location. However, breastfeeding in public was only legalized in all 50 states in 2018. “Despite the proven health benefits, the U.S. has many barriers to establishing and maintaining the human milk feeding relationship,” notes Camille Abbe, the director of Strategic Partnerships at the USBC.

According to a study conducted by the CDC, breastfeeding rates vary across states and regions: The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 recommend that infants be exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months with continued breastfeeding while introducing appropriate complementary foods for 1 year or longer. Yet, approximately, 60% of mothers do not breastfeed for as long as they want to.”

The study, which was conducted in 2023, provides solutions to this, emphasizing improvements to healthcare quality, public policy and educational system interventions.

“Thankfully, federal, state, and community efforts to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding are making a difference and breastfeeding rates are trending in the right direction,” says Abbe. “In 1970, a mere 25% of infants were breastfed! Strategic policy changes and federal investments to reduce barriers and increase support can make a world of difference."

For more information:
REMEDY www.remedyfilms.com
USBC https://www.usbreastfeeding.org/

Em Fergusson
Em Fergusson PR
ef@emfergussonpr.com

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