La Leche League (LLL) in the USA World Breastfeeding Week Celebrations encompass five months of events and activities to raise breastfeeding awareness and to fundraise to support breastfeeding in the USA. These celebrations highlight the mission of La Leche League in our communities and among those we know.  If you are new to WBW Celebrations, learn how to get started here.

In support of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action’s stand that breastfeeding is a vital emergency response, the theme for LLL in the USA 2009 WBWC is Breastfeeding: Prepared for Life. This theme recognizes the importance of supporting mothers with solid breastfeeding information so they can be successful at any time, especially in any emergency situation such as flooding, earthquakes or wild fires, or personal emergencies such as house fires, loss of a job, or public health emergencies like an epidemic.

What is World Breastfeeding Week?

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is August 1st - 7th and celebrates the signing of the Innocenti Declaration, produced and adopted in 1990 by participants at the WHO/UNICEF meeting on "Breastfeeding in the 1990s: A Global Initiative on the Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding." The document lists the benefits of breastfeeding, plus global and governmental goals. World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated in 120 countries on various dates.

This year we focus on supporting women in their efforts to do what is most important for the health and survival of their children even during emergency situations.

• Being able to continue breastfeeding even during an emergency can bring comfort and a sense of normalcy even in the most stressful situations.
• Breastfeeding can continue even when an emergency interferes with the family’s established food supply. Situations that would otherwise be devastating for families that rely on sufficient funds for and access to formula, sanitation for feeding supplies, and refrigeration are no cause for alarm when the established food supply for the baby is mother’s milk.
• A breastfed baby is better prepared to deal with health challenges, avoiding some medical emergencies.

Join with us in supporting WBWC 2009 and in creating optimal conditions for mother and her breastfeeding baby in all crisis and emergency situations. 

OBJECTIVES OF WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK CELEBRATIONS 2009 --
*To raise funds for La Leche League in the USA, with emphasis on local communities through the WBWC Grants program.
*To raise awareness that breastfeeding prepares humans for life, and that La Leche League Leaders and Groups offer breastfeeding information and support, that the lack of breastfeeding affects the child, mother, community and health care systems.