Title
To recognize August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month throughout the City of Columbus and to encourage all residents to support breastfeeding mothers and babies.
Body
WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life to provide the best possible start in life in all areas of human development; and
WHEREAS, the health benefits of breastfeeding for infants may include a reduced risk of obesity later in life, a reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome, fewer ear and respiratory infections, a reduced risk of developing type-1 and type-2 diabetes, and an average increase of six points in IQ at age six-and-a-half; and
WHEREAS, mothers receive benefits from exclusive breastfeeding that last for life - specifically, the longer mothers breastfeed, the lower their BMI, blood pressure, triglycerides, waist circumference, LDL cholesterol, risk of type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and risk of depression; and
WHEREAS, a 2010 study published in Pediatrics found that if 90 percent of new mothers breastfed, the United States would save $13 billion per year in healthcare costs and may prevent more than 90 deaths; and
WHEREAS, despite the aforementioned benefits, the 2014 Center for Disease Control Breastfeeding Report Card found that only 70 percent of babies in Ohio are fed any breast milk, and only 22 percent of these babies are breastfed exclusively for six months as recommended; and
WHEREAS, the Surgeon General of the United States has issued a Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding which focuses on the need for communities to increase societal support for breastfeeding; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS
That this Council does hereby recognize August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month in the City of Columbus and encourages all members of the community to enact policies that support breastfeeding mothers and babies.