Westchester County Health Department Promotes Breastfeeding Throughout August

Published: 31 July 2025

Moms Who Breastfeed Are Celebrated During National Breastfeeding Month

During World Breastfeeding Week, August 1 through 7, and National Breastfeeding Month, in August, the Westchester County Department of Health applauds breastfeeding mothers for their public health contribution, and recognizes the importance of community, family and employer support.

Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler said: “I encourage all new mothers to try breastfeeding because breast milk is best for the baby, and support is available for working mothers who breastfeed. Breast milk provides antibodies that can protect infants from diseases before they are fully vaccinated. It can reduce their risk of Sudden Infant Death and their risk of obesity later in life, and it also benefits mothers. I also want to recognize the support that hospitals, families and communities provide to breastfeeding mothers.”

This year’s World Breastfeeding theme is “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems.”  Employers are required by law to provide private, hygienic and convenient places for nursing employees to pump breast milk and to provide a written policy to employees about their right to express breast milk at work. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends infants breastfeed exclusively until they are six months old, and encourages parents who continue to breastfeed after solid foods are introduced at six months to continue for up to two years or more, as long as it is mutually desired by mother and child.

Through its Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the County Health Department supports mothers who breastfeed by providing them with breast pumps, additional nourishing food and the help of certified lactation counselors and peer counselors. The number of WIC mothers who initiated breastfeeding remained steady with last year, at about 87 percent. Currently, nearly 170 WIC moms are exclusively breastfeeding and more than 450 are partially breastfeeding. All prenatal women actively enrolled in the program are offered breastfeeding support and education as they prepare their feeding plan for the baby.

To promote the important benefits of breastfeeding and to honor its exclusively breastfeeding WIC moms, the Westchester County Health Department WIC program will host a celebration at the Yonkers WIC Clinic on August 5, and at the Port Chester WIC Clinic on August 6, both from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Community partners including Birth from the Earth, La Leche League, the Town of Greenburgh Teen Task Force, the New York Milk Bank and Healthy Families will share information, games and prizes.  With three Peer Counselors on staff, the WIC Program supports the individual breastfeeding needs of participants and hosts informational breastfeeding classes twice a month in English and Spanish.

Westchester County WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator Nicole Solazzo, MPH, RD, CLC said: “Breastfeeding has health benefits for mothers, too. Breastfeeding can speed up postpartum recovery and weight loss, and may decrease the risk of developing diabetes, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. It can also help families save time and money.”

Benefits to babies who receive their mother’s milk:

• fewer ear infections, respiratory infections and digestive infection;

• lower risk of developing diabetes or cancer;

• reduced risk of developing asthma and allergies;

• less likely to be obese later in life; and

• less likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Benefits to women who breastfeed their infants: 

• recover faster after birth and tend to lose pregnancy weight faster;

• less likely to develop diabetes;

• reduced risk for breast and ovarian cancer;

• less stress and reduced risk of postpartum depression;

• enhance their bond with their baby through skin-to-skin touching and eye contact that is shared during breastfeeding

• save time: breast milk is always ready;

• and save money by not buying formula.

  
  
  
  

  

More information on breastfeeding is available at www.westchestergov.com/health.