Contact:
Noelda Lopez, Public Information Specialist
Noelda.Lopez@flhealth.gov
Office: 352-589-6424, After Hours: 352-728-7662

Eustis, FL– The Florida Department of Health Lake County is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week from August 1-7, 2019. This year’s theme is Empowering Parents: Enable Breastfeeding.

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from August 1^st through August 7^th in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. The department is working to promote breastfeeding as a vital health activity, and encourages breastfeeding-friendly hospitals, childcare facilities, work places and communities.

Research shows:

• Breastfed infants have a reduced risk of infections, asthma, obesity and SIDS compared

with formula-fed infants;

• Mothers who breastfeed have a reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and

postpartum depression compared to mothers who don't breastfeed; and

• It's estimated that $13 billion would be saved per year, if 90 percent of U.S. infants were

breastfed exclusively for six months.

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, AdventHealth Waterman is hosting the, “Global Big Latch On,” in collaboration with the Lake County Breastfeeding Taskforce on August 2, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. The WIC Breastfeeding Team from the Florida Department of Health in Lake County will be participating in this event.

“The Department has partnered with local hospitals in encouraging and supporting mothers to breastfeed, which has resulted in achieving an increased WIC breastfeeding initiation rate in Lake County of 82.57%”, says Mary Stickney, Florida Department of Health in Lake County WIC Director.

Local WIC agencies offer resources and staff to help breastfeeding mothers. WIC agencies may have International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants who have a high level of specialized
knowledge in breastfeeding to assist clients. WIC agencies also have Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Programs. The trained peer counselors are chosen from the same
socio/economic/ethnic groups as WIC clients and have successfully breastfed their own babies. Breastfeeding peer counselors provide mother-to-mother basic breastfeeding education and
support to pregnant and breastfeeding moms. For more information about the Florida WIC program call 1-800-342-3556 or visit www.FloridaWIC.org.  

Healthiest Weight Florida within the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention, in partnership with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Healthy Start, and the Florida Child Care Food Program, has a variety of tools available for mothers and families, as well as employers, childcare facilities, and hospitals and health care professionals. Visit http://www.healthiestweightflorida.com/activities/breastfeeding.html for more information.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @HealthyFla. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.