During the first week of August, Saint Mary’s Hospital observed “World Breastfeeding Week,” a global campaign supported by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Awareness (WABA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. This year’s theme was “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start of Life: Strengthen What Works,” which focused on tracking progress, evaluating impact and scaling proven interventions to improve breastfeeding outcomes.
Zully Santana, Lactation Aide, Saint Mary’s Women and Infants Center leads the World Breastfeeding Week trivia table.
Zully Santana, Lactation Aide, Saint Mary’s Women and Infants Center at the SMH World Breastfeeding Week Bead Party.
"World Breastfeeding Week is important because it not only highlights the benefits of breastfeeding but also creates space for conversations about mothers' struggles and successes,” said Zully Santana, Lactation Aide, Saint Mary’s Women and Infants Center.
Zully, along with the Women and Infants Center, put together a week’s worth of activities for colleagues and patients. Saint Mary’s main lobby featured a breastfeeding resource and trivia table, while activities like a lunch and learn, sip n’ paint, bead-making party and a raffle for a diaper cake were made available for patients and colleagues to have fun while learning about breastfeeding. “Activities like these encourage support from partners, family, friends and healthcare professionals, helping mothers feel empowered throughout their breastfeeding journey,” Zully said.
Patients who gave birth during World Breastfeeding Week received a certificate and gift bag for successfully breastfeeding their baby during their stay. “World Breastfeeding Week is about building a culture of support, understanding and empowerment so that every family has the resources, encouragement and confidence to reach their feeding goals,” said Zully.
World Breastfeeding Week began in 1992, following the 1990 Innocenti Declaration, which prioritized the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding. Over the past 34 years, with different annual themes, World Breastfeeding Week has made an impact on raising awareness and providing support for not only women, but the healthcare systems and communities they and their families make up.
“World Breastfeeding Week promotes the normalization of breastfeeding in public, seeking help when needed and providing support and education before automatically recommending formula. At Saint Mary’s, we are proud to be an active resource for the communities we serve,” said Zully.
To learn more about breastfeeding support at Saint Mary’s, visit our website: Pregnancy | Women’s Health | Trinity Health Of New England