Assembly Resolution No. 642

BY: M. of A. Solages

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
August 2023, as Breastfeeding Awareness Month in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, The practice of breastfeeding encourages the establishment
and development of a strong bond between the mother and her child that
has a positive impact on the health of the family, and therefore on
society; and

WHEREAS, Breastfeeding is quintessential for the health of babies as
it provides the ideal mix of vitamins, protein, and fat to promote
healthy development and growth; and

WHEREAS, The practice of breastfeeding has been heavily researched,
and studies have displayed that higher IQ scores in later childhood have
been linked to the consumption of breast milk; and

WHEREAS, Breastfeeding provides preventative measures for the
breastfed child against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and lowers
the risk of asthma, allergies, obesity, diarrhea and ear infections; and

WHEREAS, Breastfeeding provides healthy attributes for the mother as
it burns extra calories, reduces uterine bleeding after birth, lowers
the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis; and

WHEREAS, There is a special bonding time which maximizes mental and
social development that nursing the infant gives to a mother and her
baby as they are held close and cuddled, skin-to-skin, so the baby feels
calmer and more secure; and

WHEREAS, The practice of breastfeeding serves as an important
empowerment tool for the woman to affirm and accept her role as a new
mother; and

WHEREAS, This manner of feeding the child is a cost effective
intervention that diminishes the expenditure on infant formula and
health services rendered to infants; and

WHEREAS, Both international and national organizations such as the
Department of Health and Human Services of the United States, the World
Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and
the American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledge the vitality of breast-
feeding; and

WHEREAS, The month of August commemorates the Innocenti Declaration
signed in August of 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and
other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding; and

WHEREAS, United States Department of Health and Human Services
endorses the observation of Breastfeeding Awareness Month on August 1 of
every year to acknowledge the importance of breastfeeding and encourage
prospective mothers to learn more about this practice; and

WHEREAS, Breastfeeding is becoming an endangered practice in the
United States due to a lack of education and support towards this
fruitful practice; and

WHEREAS, It is fitting and proper for this Legislative Body to take
note of such an empowering and healthy practice which bonds mother and
child in an economically sound and healthy manner, as it fosters the
constructive development of its youngest citizens to this great Empire
State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim August 2023, as
Breastfeeding Awareness Month in the State of New York, and to commend
efforts put forward to educate women on the subject matter of
breastfeeding; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York; and the New York State Department of Health.