Celebrate the ‘gold standard’ of infant feeding this week

To the editor,

Aug. 1-7 is the time set aside each year when 120 countries celebrate World Breastfeeding Week. Most everyone is aware of the health benefits for breastfed infants including less ear infections, less pneumonia, higher IQ, less diabetes and less obesity. Breastfeeding moms benefit by lowering their risk of breast cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and postpartum depression. We know the benefits; what are we doing to promote breastfeeding in our community?

Washington state has some of the highest initiation rates of breastfeeding but it often doesn’t continue through the first year of...