Virginia Breastfeeding Awareness Month

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

Virginia Breastfeeding Awareness Month

WHEREAS, breastfeeding enriches the bond between parent and child, and is associated with decreased childhood maltreatment; and

WHEREAS, breastmilk is physiologically tailored to meet the needs of infants' maturing digestive systems, which ensures proper growth and development, and helps prevent a variety of acute and chronic diseases; and

WHEREAS, breastfeeding is a natural and renewable source of nutrition that is environmentally safe, produced and delivered without pollution or packaging waste, and represents a sustainable infant feeding practice that strengthens community resilience; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Health strives to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding through partnerships with hospital systems and community organizations, utilizing Virginia's Plan for Wellbeing, and to maintain breastfeeding as a public health priority to improve the health and well-being of our communities; and

WHEREAS, all Virginians are encouraged to foster breastfeeding-friendly environments in workplaces, healthcare settings, and public spaces throughout the Commonwealth;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Abigail D. Spanberger, Governor, do hereby recognize August 2026 as BREASTFEEDING AWARENESS MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.