Healthy Savannah kicks off National Breastfeeding Week with celebration walk

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Saturday marks the first day of National Breastfeeding Week, observed in more than 100 countries.

Mothers, children and breastfeeding advocates gathered with Healthy Savannah to kick off the week with a celebration walk.

The free event featured giveaways from local partners, sign-ups for local nutrition assistance programs and breastfeeding education.

Dr. Elsie Smalls, the breastfeeding program manager at Healthy Savannah, spoke about the benefits of breastfeeding for both mothers and babies.

“Three reasons why breastfeeding is so important — it strengthens the baby’s immune system, it helps with the cognitive development of the baby, it also helps the mom in terms of getting back to her pre-birth weight, and some research has shown that it can prevent some forms of cancer,” Smalls said. “So there are benefits for mom and for baby, and that’s why we want to make sure breastfeeding happens.”

National Breastfeeding Week is supported by the World Health Organization.