Las Vegas Urban League WIC: Valuable Resources for August Breastfeeding Awareness Month

LAS VEGAS - Aug. 1, 2022 - PRLog -- During Breastfeeding Awareness Month, and throughout the year on an ongoing basis, Las Vegas Urban League WIC is proud to provide the Southern Nevada community with educational information, classes and training on nutrition and breastfeeding for both new and current mothers, fathers, and partners.

Breastfeeding Educational Class Schedules can be viewed on WIC's website at: www.wiclv.org. Class topics include:

• Getting Started in Breastfeeding
• Spanish Language Getting Started in Breastfeeding
• Father/Partner Support Breastfeeding Class
• WIC Breastfeeding Support Group: Dads and Partners

All classes are also available via Zoom.

"We want new and current parents with babies to know that providing human milk is very beneficial when feeding their babies," Semaj Bruce, IBCLC, WIC Breastfeeding Program Coordinator, said. "Breast milk is the preferred source of nutrition for babies and the best source of overall nutrition. Human milk provides better protection for babies against diseases in childhood and throughout their adult lives.

"Breast/Chest feeding is also an excellent way for parents and their children to form strong emotional bonds," Bruce added. "And people may not realize that human milk is a safe, sterile when directly from the breast/chest and is a renewable food source in times of natural disasters and emergencies."

In conjunction with Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Week 2 is Indigenous Milk Medicine Week whose theme this year is Strengthening Our Traditions from Birth and Beyond.  Week 3 is Asian American Pacific Islander Native Hawaiian (AAPINH) Breastfeeding Week whose theme is still to be announced.  Week 4 is Black Breastfeeding Week which is celebrated during the last week of August.  This year's theme is A New Foundation celebrating 10 years.  It began in 2013 with the primary purpose to raise awareness of the challenges facing Black breastfeeding parents. These include the facts that:

• Black babies face disproportionately high mortality rates.
• Black families experience high amounts of disease related to nutrition.
• There aren't enough people of color in the lactation field to support Black parents.
• Black parents face specific cultural barriers to breastfeeding success.
• Many Black parents live in vulnerable communities and lack community support for breastfeeding.

For more information on breastfeeding and what you need to know and do as parents, visit the Urban League WIC at http://www.wiclv.org or its two convenient locations: 6480 W. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas, phone (702) 227-1573 or 3320 E. Flamingo Road, Suite 50, Las Vegas, phone (702) 476-9561.

The Las Vegas Urban League Women, Infants and Children Program is a 501c (3) program that is funded by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health.