WBW is the World Breastfeeding Week which is celebrated annually from 1st August to 7th August in almost all the countries. The variety of events on breast feeding has been exhibited by many countries, organizations and participants worldwide.
World Breastfeeding Week 2019
Like the preceding years, this year too, World Breastfeeding Week 2019 will be celebrated from Thursday (1st of August) to the Wednesday (7th of August).
The campaigns will encourage breastfeeding of babies as an essential activity for better health of babies and the mothers as well.
The theme for this year’s World Breastfeeding Week 2019 is “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding”. Intensive Breastfeeding campaigns have already begun on social media platforms like facebook, twitter and instagram.
A media kit has been released by World Breast Feeding Week (WBW) Organization, which is being hugely shared on social media.
People throughout the globe will converse on social media platforms from 1st to 7th August 2019, during which they share their videos, opinions, thoughts on breastfeeding and campaigns. You can share your message on #WBW2019.
There is also 48 hour “AskMeAnything (#AMA)” event organized from 1st August to 2nd August by WBW organization, in which a panel of experts will be called to answer any question through facebook platform.
Throughout the week, i.e. Aug 1 to Aug 7, you can share your campaign material on Facebook Live account of WBW.
India is also geared up for celebrating World Breastfeeding Day 2019 in a grand way. Several events are organized in major Indian cities like – New Delhi, Lucknow, Agra, Patna, Jaipur, Kolkata, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Chennai etc.
As the news on the events comes in from various parts of India as well as the world on World Breastfeeding Week 2019; the same will be regularly updated on the website.
Why it is celebrating
Breast feeding is organized and promoted worldwide by the WABA (World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action), WHO (World Health Organization) and UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) to get the goal of elite breastfeeding by mother for their baby of first six months in order to get the incredible health benefits, to fulfill the all vital nutrients, to encourage mother for the healthy growth and development of their child, to guard them from the lethal health problems and diseases including neonatal jaundice, pneumonia, cholera and many more.
It was first started and celebrated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action in the year 1992. And later it is being celebrated in more than 120 countries by the UNICEF, WHO and their participants such as individuals, associations and governments. World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action was also established in the year 1991 at 14th of Feb to promote the comprehensive breastfeeding culture worldwide by providing the support and achieve the real goal.
The breast feeding has been emphasized to a great extent by the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for promoting the healthy living for both the mother and the baby. It is highly recommended by them to all mothers that they should give breastfeeding to their child for the first six months of the life and after that a supplemented breastfeeding can be given for the one, two or more years.
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action had assisted and supported the social mobilization for the global promotion of the campaign of breastfeeding. WHO and WABA had decided a day committed to the breastfeeding which has been marked as one of the important international events.
It is very necessary to the mothers to get timely support and healthcare education to their baby including breast feeding. The continuous support and intimation can bring the gradual and permanent changes in the social living and ultimately healthy and disease free social living. To sustain a continuous breast feeding can be traditionally supported by the family, community leaders, trained health workers, lactation consultants, friends and partners.
The strategy of peer counseling can be beneficial and exceedingly productive approach to distribute the message of breast feeding campaign to a larger number of other worldwide in a less time period. The trained person of the community can be a peer counselor which can support the mothers to combat their breastfeeding questions and issues.
Aims of the Breast Feeding Campaign
> To make aware the peer group to support mothers in order to establish and carry on the breastfeeding.
> To initiate the breastfeeding supporters to be trained to provide support to mothers and babies in more effective ways.
> To make aware the people to attend and expand the Peer Counseling programmes by letting them know the effective and efficient benefits of the Peer Counseling.
> To call on the governments to get more and worldwide maternity facilities in order to increase the rate and duration of elite breastfeeding.
> To discover the contacts of the neighboring community support so that breastfeeding mothers can go them to get help and support after delivery.
There are five circles of support from which a mother should get assistance for breast feeding. A woman is surrounded by these circles of support which are Family and Social Network, Workplace and Employment, Government or Legislation, Healthcare and Response to Crisis or Emergency.
World Breastfeeding Week Themes
> The theme of 1992 was “Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI)”.
> The theme of 1993 was “Mother-Friendly Workplace Initiative (MFWI)”.
> The theme of 1994 was “Protect Breastfeeding: Making the Code Work”.
> The theme of 1995 was “Breastfeeding: Empowering Women”.
> The theme of 1996 was “Breastfeeding: A Community Responsibility”.
> The theme of 1997 was “Breastfeeding: Nature’s Way”.
> The theme of 1998 was “Breastfeeding: The Best Investment”.
> The theme of 1999 was “Breastfeeding: Education for Life”.
> The theme of 2000 was “Breastfeeding: It’s Your Right”.
> The theme of 2001 was “Breastfeeding in the Information Age”.
> The theme of 2002 was “Breastfeeding: Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies”.
> The theme of 2003 was “Breastfeeding in a Globalized World for Peace and Justice”.
> The theme of 2004 was ‘Exclusive Breastfeeding: the Gold Standard – Safe, Sound, Sustainable”.
> The theme of 2005 was “Breastfeeding and Family Foods: Loving & Healthy – Feeding Other Foods While Breastfeeding is Continued”.
> The theme of 2006 was “Code Watch – 25 Years of Protecting Breastfeeding”.
> The theme of 2007 was “Breastfeeding: The 1st Hour – Save ONE million babies!”.
> The theme of 2008 was “Mother Support: Going for the Gold Everyone Wins!”.
> The theme of 2009 was “Breastfeeding: A Vital Emergency Response”.
> The theme of 2010 was “Breastfeeding, Just 10 Steps! – The baby friendly way”.
> The theme of 2011 was “Talk To Me! Breastfeeding – A 3D Experience”.
> The theme of 2012 was “Understanding the Past, Planning for the Future”.
> The theme of 2013 was “Breastfeeding Support: Close To Mothers”.
> The theme of 2014 was “Breastfeeding: A Winning Goal – For Life!”
> The theme of 2015 was “Breastfeeding and Work – Let’s Make it Work!”
> The theme of 2016 was “a key to Sustainable Development”.
> The theme of 2017 was “Sustaining Breastfeeding Together”.
> The theme of 2018 was “Foundation of Life”.
> The theme of 2019 is “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding”.
