The beginning of August marks World Breastfeeding Week and National WIC Breastfeeding Week, kicking off the National Breastfeeding Month in raising awareness about the health and survival benefits of breastfeeding.
Monterey County breastfeeding rates of 54 percent are higher than the state average of 45 percent, with rates slowly increasing over time, according to Jazmin Medina, a certified lactation counselor with the Monterey County WIC program.
WIC helps moms with prenatal infants and children up to the age of 5 years old, providing healthy foods, nutrition education and breastfeeding support.
“It's sad that not many babies are exclusively breast fed for that long and we want to extend that and make sure moms get the resources they need,” says Maria Chayo Saavedra, a lactation specialist with the Monterey County WIC program. “WIC works mostly with the agricultural working moms and that's a big challenge when it comes to pumping at work.”
In Salinas, the 19th annual Breastfeeding Walk & Health Fair will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 4 from 11am-2pm at the Women, Infants and Children's Alisal Office located at 632 East Alisal St.
Attendees who participate in the walk at 12:30pm will receive a free t-shirt. There will be a prize raffle and people can enjoy a free bowl of food from the local food bank.
The farmers market will also be available for attendees to buy their fruits and vegetables.
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