Palm Beach County, Fla. - The Palm Beach Health Network hospitals are raising awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding during World Breastfeeding Awareness Week from August 1st-7th. This year’s national theme is, “Support breastfeeding for a healthier planet.

“The Palm Beach Health Network hospitals recognize the benefits that breastfeeding has for babies, and we want to support families in our community who make this choice,” says Yvonne Troise, lactation consultant for St. Mary’s Medical Center. “Our maternity and obstetrics hospitals, West Boca Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center and St. Mary’s Medical Center, all have lactation consultants on staff to help provide education to our new mothers who are interested in breastfeeding their babies.”

Many health professionals encourage new mothers to explore the option of breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to support the unequivocal evidence that breastfeeding protects against a variety of diseases and conditions in the infant such as:

• bacteremia
• diarrhea
• respiratory tract infection
• necrotizing enterocolitis
• otitis media
• urinary tract infection
• late-onset sepsis in preterm infants
• type 1 and type 2 diabetes
• lymphoma, leukemia, and Hodgkins disease
• childhood overweight and obesity

There are also maternal health benefits to breastfeeding such as:

• decreased postpartum bleeding and more rapid uterine involution
• decreased menstrual blood loss and increased child spacing (lactational amenorrhea)
• earlier return to pre-pregnancy weight
• decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancers

Breastfeeding is also a great benefit to the environment and society. Breastfeeding families are generally sick less often, and the parents miss less work. It does not require the use of energy for manufacturing or create waste or air pollution. There is no risk of contamination and breast milk is always at the right temperature and ready to feed.