National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign—Babies were Born to be Breastfed

Public Service Campaign to Promote Breastfeeding Awareness Launched

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The US Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health (OWH) and The Advertising Council have developed the "Babies were Born to be Breastfed" public service advertising campaign (PSAs) to promote breastfeeding among first-time parents. The overall goal of the campaign is to increase the proportion of mothers who breastfeed their babies in the early postpartum period to 75% and those within 6 months postpartum to 50% by the year 2010 (Healthy People 2010). The campaign aims to empower women to commit to breastfeeding and to highlight new research that shows that babies who are exclusively breastfed for 6 months are less likely to develop ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory illnesses, and may be less likely to develop childhood obesity. Besides trying to raise initiation rates, the campaign will also stress the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months.

The Campaign

The Babies were Born to be Breastfed PSAs are available in a variety of formats, including television, radio and print advertisements. Click here to see the elements of the campaign.

NWHIC has trained our Information Specialists so they can help you with common breastfeeding issues such as nursing positions, questions about pumping and storage, and provide the support moms and dads need to make breastfeeding a success. The Helpline (which operates in both English and Spanish) can also provide tips for working moms who would like to continue breastfeeding, offer suggestions for financial support and provide free brochures that offer information and tips on breastfeeding.

Call the Helpline at 1-800-994-WOMAN. It's open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., EST. If you call after hours, you will be given the option to leave a message, and a Breastfeeding Information Specialist will return your call on the next business day.

Eighteen community-based demonstration projects (CDPs) (22 sites) throughout the United States will work in coordination with the Office on Women's Health and the Advertising Council to implement the campaign at the local level. The CDPs, which include breastfeeding coalitions, hospitals, universities, and other organizations have been funded to offer breastfeeding services, provide outreach to their communities, train healthcare providers on breastfeeding, implement the media aspects of the campaign, and track breastfeeding rates in their communities.

Text last updated June 2004