TITLE
Title
PROCLAMATION DECLARING GUILFORD COUNTY AS A BREASTFEEDING FAMILY FRIENDLY COMMUNITY
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Commissioner Carly Cooke
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PROCLAMATION
Proclamation
WHEREAS, families are a priority in Guilford County, and ensuring they receive community support to develop and sustain healthy lifestyles will help them to thrive; and
WHEREAS, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Family Physicians, World Health Organization, and other leading health organizations, breastmilk is the optimal food for infants; and
WHEREAS, breastfeeding is associated with lower rates of childhood illness, such as obesity, diabetes, and infectious diseases, as well as reduced risk of maternal breast and ovarian cancers and a faster recovery from childbirth as compared to formula feeding; and
WHEREAS, breastfeeding promotes social-emotional development, benefits the entire family, and is associated with lifelong health and development; and a parent’s decision to feed human milk to infants directly or by expressing should be supported by family members, workplace and the community; and
WHEREAS, achieving local designation in the North Carolina Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Designation Program supports parents and childcare staff to continue breastfeeding and offering expressed milk when returning to work or school, and supports childcare staff with on-site breastfeeding facilities or spaces; and
WHEREAS, encouraging our local education systems to include breastfeeding and human milk feeding
curricula at all levels normalizes breastfeeding, and collaborating on community resources and building
community awareness can positively impact breastfeeding success; and
WHEREAS, by providing a supportive and welcoming environment, a breastfeeding family friendly community encourages families of all races, ethnicities, and family structures to initiate and continue optimal infant feeding and nursing;
Now, therefore, be it resolved that Guilford County Board of Commissioners do hereby proclaim Guilford County’s commitment to becoming a
“BREASTFEEDING FAMILY FRIENDLY COMMUNITY”
and hereby urge all residents and community institutions to support and encourage breastfeeding. Guilford County further commits to advancing the Ten Steps to a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community in partnership with the community, and to re-proclaiming as additional Steps are achieved.
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Proclaim Guilford County as a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community.
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