Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week: Building Sustainable Support Systems
- larenadoula
- Aug 7
- 4 min read
This week (1- 7 August) is World Breastfeeding Week, an annual global campaign coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, aimed at protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding worldwide. This year is themed “Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems”.
Before diving into this week’s topic, I want to acknowledge that infant feeding is a deeply personal, sensitive, and unique journey for every parent. In my personal life, I’ve had the privilege of breastfeeding my two sons, and in my volunteer work as a postnatal doula and peer supporter, I’ve walked alongside many newborn mothers. Every journey looks different, and my words today come from a place of celebration, awareness, and support, never judgment!
From Career-Focus to Motherhood: A Personal Shift
As a woman who spent years entirely focused on my career (and having fun!), children weren't initially on my radar. When I surprisingly became pregnant, the conversations around feeding methods caught me completely off guard. I was still processing the fact that I was going to be a mother, let alone shifting my perspective on my own body!
But, when my first son was placed in my arms, a switch flipped. Establishing breastfeeding amidst COVID restrictions and the intense heatwave of July 2021 was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but looking back, it remains one of my greatest achievements.
While navigating the practicalities of feeding, I was also navigating the practicalities of being mother to a newborn! Cue flashbacks to me pumping in a field while watching Liam Gallagher at Reading Festival one month in (not recommended!).
My goal went from reaching two weeks, to six weeks, to six months, and eventually to 22 months. With my second son, empowered by confidence and experience, our journey lasted another 18 months.
The Reality of the Journey
Breastfeeding is rarely a straight path. Through my peer support work, I’ve seen the real-world barriers families face:
Traumatic births or C-sections that make those critical first 75 hours challenging.
Early weight-check anxieties that leave parents doubting their body’s capabilities, leading to unsustainable triple-feeding cycles (breast, bottle, and pumping) on zero sleep.
Lack of workplace support, forcing parents to stop earlier than planned due to a lack of hygienic pumping facilities or adequate break times.
Medical interruptions, such as mothers having to stop to begin treatments like chemotherapy.
What are "Sustainable Support Systems"?
This year’s World Breastfeeding Week theme challenges us to look at the ecosystems surrounding new parents:
At Home: Does a partner know how to offer targeted support beyond simply offering a bottle? Do they know where local support groups or helplines are?
In Healthcare: Are parents empowered with information during birth planning? Are midwives and local hospitals equipped with the time and resources to help?
In the Workplace: How are we supporting returning parents? I’m proud to see initiatives in some companies like dedicated parent rooms with comfortable seating and refrigeration. Does our workplace culture actively normalise extra breaks for pumping?
The Science Behind the Magic
While fed is always the priority, the scientific design of human milk is truly extraordinary. Here are just a few facts that showcase what the human body can do:
Building the Microbiome
Early gut colonisation in the first three years lays the foundation for an infant's immune system, metabolic function, and long-term health. For babies born via C-section (nearly 50% of births currently in the UK), breastfeeding plays a vital role in transferring essential micro-organisms through skin-to-skin contact and milk that are missed through a vaginal birth.
Source: Azad, M. (2019). Infant Feeding and the Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease in the CHILD Cohort. Breastfeeding Medicine.
Long-Term Maternal Health
Research shows that women who have breastfed experience:
11% lower risk of coronary heart disease
12% lower risk of stroke
17% lower risk of cardiovascular death
Additionally, the hormonal shifts and continuous tissue regeneration during lactation lower lifetime exposure to oestrogen, reducing long-term breast cancer risks.
Real-Time Biological Feedback
When a baby nurses, the vacuum created allows a small amount of the baby's saliva to be absorbed by the mother’s body. If the baby is carrying a virus or bacteria, the mother’s immune system detects it and produces targeted, pathogen-specific antibodies back into the milk in as little as four hours. Creating a customised immune boost!
Bioactive Fluid
Human milk contains thousands of distinct bioactive molecules that support brain development, organ maturation, and immunity. It is a dynamic fluid that changes daily to meet a growing baby's needs. Something formula simply cannot replicate.
Closing the Gap
UNICEF UK reports that while 81% of parents initiate breastfeeding, only 34% continue to six months, and just 1% exclusively breastfeed at six months. Yet, the World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding alongside complementary foods up to two years and beyond.
The gap isn't a lack of desire from parents, it’s a lack of structural support, workplace infrastructure, and accessible, non-judgmental education.
Whether you fed for a day, a month, two years, or chose a different path entirely, you deserve support. Let’s use World Breastfeeding Week to reflect on how we, can continue building environments where parents are empowered and supported.
If you're looking for extra support postnatally with breastfeeding or any other aspects of parenthood then please book to have a chat with me!
Larri Whiteway
@larenadoula
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