(Xenia, OH) In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week and Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Greene County Combined Health District’s WIC Program will hold an open house on Wednesday August 4th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the health district’s office located at 360 Wilson Drive in Xenia. The purpose of the open house is to educate pregnant women on WIC about the benefits of breastfeeding and to honor WIC’s breastfeeding mothers.
Aug. 1-7, 2004, is World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) and marks the beginning of Breastfeeding Awareness Month in Ohio. This year’s WBW theme is Exclusive Breastfeeding, the Gold Standard, Safe, Sound and Sustainable. Breastfeeding Awareness Month offers Greene County an opportunity to promote the many benefits of exclusive breastfeeding -- defined as providing no other liquids or solids for a baby’s first six months -- to Ohio's mothers-to-be, families and the general public.
“Mothers’ milk enhances the growth, development and well-being of infants by providing the best possible nutrition and protection against specific infections and allergies,” said J. Nick Baird, M.D., director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), “and these benefits are strongest when exclusive breastfeeding is practiced for the first six months of life.”
The health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding can be translated into cost savings for individuals, government programs and health maintenance organizations. A 1999 University of Arizona study found breastfeeding exclusively for three months saves HMOs between $331 and $475 per infant in the first year of life.
New research has also shown that breastfeeding enhances intellectual development and decreases the risk of obesity. The January 1998 edition of Pediatrics contained a study that showed children breastfed for eight months or longer had higher IQ test scores and performed better in high school than those not breastfed. The February 2004 edition of Pediatrics reported breastfeeding reduces the risk of obesity in non-Hispanic whites.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for six months and that breastfeeding continues until the infant is at least 1 year old.
The infant feeding decision can have long-term consequences on the growth and success of our children. Because of increased bonding, improved cognitive development, decreased risk of obesity and many other health benefits, breastfeeding, particularly exclusively for the first six months, can help ensure a positive start for infants and young children.
Maternal and Child Health clinics and WIC projects have a strong mandate to promote and support breastfeeding. Public health clinics in Ohio, including all WIC clinics, have trained staff who can provide research-based, culturally sensitive information about breastfeeding. The Greene County WIC Program has on staff an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant as well as three Breastfeeding Peer Helpers. ODH encourages all Ohio residents to support exclusive breastfeeding as a high priority for healthier babies in our state.
“We must provide Ohio mothers-to-be and their families with enough information to make informed choices about infant feeding,” said Nancy Cohen, WIC’s Breastfeeding Coordinator. “Once the decision to breastfeed has been made, we must provide a supportive environment to encourage the continuation of breastfeeding. Ultimately, our whole society will benefit from having healthier mothers, babies and children."
FOR MORE INFORMATION about breastfeeding in Greene County please call Greene County Combined Health District, Nancy Cohen, RD, LD, IBCLC, WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator, at 937-374-5642 or 1-866-858-3588, extension 5642. Or call the “Help Me Grow” Helpline at 1-800-755-GROW.
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