The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) has announced the 10 winners of its annual breastfeeding photo contest. This year the contest centered around the 2009 theme of “Breastfeeding: A Vital Emergency Response. Are You Ready?”
The photos are fascinating but heart-wrenching in some cases, like the image of the woman who was a victim of domestic violence. Here I am grateful to be nursing my baby through a simple case of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, and there are women breastfeeding in relief camps, in war zones, in areas severely damaged by an earthquake. You can view all of …read more

This year’s World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) theme of “Mother Support: Going for the Gold” gives a nod to the 2008 Olympics. In keeping with that theme, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) has announced two ways to win gold, silver, and bronze WBW medals:
1. WBW 2008 Marathon Celebrations (celebrations that last seven, five, or three days and consist of at least five, three, or two events, respectively).
2. WBW 2008 Global Breastfeeding Wave Event (mass breastfeeding events of 200, 100, or 50 mother-baby pairs breastfeeding for at least one minute).
For more information, visit the WABA WBW site.

This month the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) launches a “Virtual Torch Run” around the world, running from June to December 2008. The Virtual Torch Run will be marked by a torch on the world map for each World Breastfeeding Week event registered during that time. To mark your event, submit the simple pledge form to WABA. To view the map, click here. La Leche League (LLL) groups in the United States should also remember to register their events with LLL. Non-LLL groups can also register by filling out a form for other registrants.

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action chose four winning breastfeeding videos in its 2008 World Breastfeeding Week Video Contest. My favorite so far is “Lactating Mother” (by Uma Devi), which I thought made its point in 52 seconds rather well:

For more breastfeeding videos, click here.

Mother and son in Niger; Photo credit IFRC/John Haskew
La Leche League (LLL) and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) joined together today in celebration of World Health Day 2008. The theme chosen by the World Health Organization for World Health Day 2008 is Protecting Health from Climate Change, and LLL and WABA put together a statement showing how breastfeeding protects both health and the environment. In particular, the statement notes how:
~ Unlike formula-feeding, breastfeeding requires no manufacturing plants
~ No packaging for breast milk is needed
~ Both corn- and soy-based formulas require heavy use of farmland for feeding, grazing and …read more