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August 2010, as “Breastfeeding Awareness Month” |
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Written by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California
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Friday, 09 July 2010 |
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EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PROCLAMATION
California is committed to ensuring the pediatric and long-term health of our youngest citizens, and one of the best ways to do this is through breastfeeding. Many health care professionals recommend breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby’s life because it benefits both children and mothers.
Breast milk provides a perfectly balanced diet that infants need to grow strong, and it naturally builds a healthy immune system to prevent illness. Breastfeeding is associated with fewer instances of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, asthma, diabetes and childhood obesity.
The unique bond with a mother develops with her child while breastfeeding aids in the baby’s emotional and cognitive development. She can also lower her own risk of postpartum depression, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and Type 2 diabetes.
This month, I encourage all Californians to support breastfeeding awareness, and I especially call on employers to implement breastfeeding education in the workplace. Women with children are a rapidly growing sector of our workforce, and it is important that mothers can breastfeed or use a breast pump. Businesses, education centers and communities can all build awareness for this beneficial practice, and together, we can continue to work toward a healthier California.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim August 2010, as “Breastfeeding Awareness Month.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 9th day of July 2010.
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