Action Ideas for

World Breastfeeding Week 2007

Breastfeeding: The 1st Hour

Over 120 countries celebrate World Breastfeeding Week. The

United States celebrates from August 1 - 7 each year.

This year’s theme focuses on Breastfeeding in the 1st Hour and how
it can Save ONE Million Babies of the four million babies who die in
the first month of life.

Initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth is the first

and most vital step
toward reducing
mortality for infants and children under five years of age by reducing
the high neonatal mortality rate. Save ONE million babies beginning
with ONE action, ONE hour support, and ONE message:
Begin breastfeeding within ONE hour of birth!

The following are World Breastfeeding Week activity ideas. They may be helpful as you develop plans to
celebrate this special week

WIC Clinics
Encourage WIC staff
to talk with pregnant
women during WIC
clinic visits about the
importance of
breastfeeding in the
first hour.
Develop a flyer about
the benefits for
mother and baby of
breastfeeding in the
first hour. Encourage
mothers to take the
flyer with them to the
hospital.
Invite breastfeeding
friendly hospital
personnel to a press
conference and
recognize their
support of
breastfeeding
mothers.
Organize a meeting
with community
partners to develop
support of
breastfeeding in the
first hour.
Choose one day
during World
Breastfeeding Week
to honor your
community partners
for all the work they
do in breastfeeding
promotion and
support.
National WIC Association Breastfeeding Promotion Committee (6/2007)
Adapted from the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) website
Place an article about Launch a Gold
breastfeeding in the Ribbon Campaign.
first hour after birth in Give women gold
the local agency ribbons to attach to
newsletter. diaper bags, purses,
strollers, or back
Give WIC moms a packs to signify
certificate of breastfeeding as the
congratulations for Gold Standard. Ask
breastfeeding. Frame staff to attach the
or laminate the ribbons to their
certificates. nametags or lanyards.
Invite local, state
and/or national
Give dads a certificate legislators to visit
to recognize their your WIC agency to
support of celebrate World
breastfeeding Breastfeeding Week.
mother/infant dyads. Share information
with them or their
Take pictures of older field staff regarding
babies breastfeeding. the WIC Program, and
Put the pictures on breastfeeding support
display in WIC clinics activities.
and give copies to the
mothers. Send World
Breastfeeding Week
Set up a table display postcards with
or bulletin board in encouraging messages
your clinic featuring to prenatal and
employees and clients breastfeeding clients.
who have breastfed.
Attach quotes from Health Care
these mothers.
Providers
Develop a
Provide health care
proclamation for your
professionals with
governor or local
information on how to
mayor to sign.
support breastfeeding
in the first hour and
encourage them to
spread the message.
Offer to provide
breastfeeding in-
services to local
Developed and distributed by the
Compiled from state World Breastfeeding Week activities
physicians and their
staff on the
importance of
breastfeeding within
the first hour.
Promote the 2005
AAP Statement on
Breastfeeding and the
Use of Human Milk,
which can be found
at:
http://pediatrics.aappu
blications.org/cgi/cont
ent/full/115/2/496
Send thank-you notes
to health care
providers that are
supportive of
breastfeeding.
Provide the AAP’s
“Ten Steps to
Supports Parents’
Choice to Breastfeed
their Baby” to local
health care providers.
http://www.aap.org/br
eastfeeding/tenSteps.p
df
Promote the AAP’s
breastfeeding
resources
http://www.aap.org/br
eastfeeding/new
%20resources.cfm
Community
Collaborate with local
Maternal and Child
Health agencies to
promote breastfeeding
in the first hour.
 Action Ideas for
World Breastfeeding Week 2007
Breastfeeding: The 1st Hour
Set up a “rock and book with positive The World Alliance
relax” booth at the breastfeeding for Breastfeeding
state fair with three messages. Provide Action website has
areas: a changing area bookmarks or materials on the 2007
with diapers and breastfeeding books theme. The address is
wipes, an area for for mothers or http://worldbreastfeed
breastfeeding children. ingweek.org/downloa
education materials ds.htm.
and someone to Ask local grocery
answer questions, and stores to put a World A kit to help plan for
another area with Breastfeeding Week World Breastfeeding
rocking chairs for message on grocery Week is available
mothers to breastfeed bags. The bag design from the International
their babies. could include Lactation Consultant
information about Association (ILCA):
Host a baby shower or breastfeeding and a http://www.ilca.org/ne
mother/grandmother list of local names and ws/wbw.php
tea. Have a speaker, phone numbers of
handouts, door prizes, support services.
and serve light
refreshments. Wear breastfeeding
promotion shirts and
Get involved with a buttons to support
local La Leche World Breastfeeding
League group or Week.
collaborate with a
local group on a walk Media
during World
Breastfeeding Week. Write and send an
Call 1-800-525-3243 article to local daily
to find the group and weekly
closest to you. newspapers about
breastfeeding
Recognize businesses featuring this year’s
that accommodate theme, breastfeeding
breastfeeding facts, and local
employees or patrons. resources.
Give a certificate or
send a thank-you Volunteer to appear
note. on a local television
or radio station to be
Collaborate with local interviewed about
libraries to develop World Breastfeeding
displays or events Week.
around the theme.
Suggest a children’s Resources
story hour featuring a