Breastfeeding Celebrations for May 11, 2008

Many countries celebrate mothers on the second Sunday of May. Happy Mother’s Day to all the (breastfeeding!) mothers in the United States, Canada, Australia, India and elsewhere! In the United Kingdom though, today kicks off a celebration of a different kind, National Breastfeeding Awareness Week:

This National Breastfeeding Awareness Week celebrity mum and Atomic Kitten member Jenny Frost is showing her support for breastfeeding by fronting the Breast Buddy initiative. The initiative will support you to breastfeed for longer by encouraging you to nominate a buddy from within your circle of friends and family, who can provide practical and emotional support while you breastfeed…. The theme of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week this year is ‘Breastfeeding: every day makes a difference to your baby’. If you receive support – whether it be from a friend or family member, a health professional, or volunteer breastfeeding supporter, you are likely to breastfeed for longer, giving your child important health benefits.

As part of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, shops, supermarkets and shopping centres in the U.K. are demonstrating that they are “Breastfeeding Friendly.” For more information on becoming a Breastfeeding Friendly Retailer (or for a list of Breastfeeding Friendly Places, to be compiled soon), click here.