Happy World Breastfeeding Week 2021 (#WBW2021)!

Breastfeeding is critical for the health of babies. Midwives are critical in promoting and facilitating breastfeeding. Midwives can nurture relationships with women and positively impact breastfeeding uptake. They need an enabling environment which values and respects midwives, and values and respects women. 

During this World Breastfeeding Week (August 1 – 7), stand with midwives and spread the word about their integral role in strengthening the next generation by supporting women to breastfeed.  

• Click here to retweet our #WBW message 
   
• Click here to access and reshare the Global Breastfeeding Collective’s newly released call to action on the role of midwives and nurses in protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding. ICM is proud to have supported in the development of this work
   
• Click here to access and reshare the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action's (WABA) social media toolkit  

According to the World Health Organization, United Nations Population Fund, and other global authorities, there is an urgent need for SRMNAH care to be delivered by professional midwives who have expertise that is not currently supported in most health systems.  

ICM’s Enabling Policy Brief, developed with support from Ariadne Labs defines the enabling environment for midwives as one that supports the infrastructure, profession, and system-level integration needed for midwives to effectively practise their full scope of work. This brief also identifies the necessary policies to enhance the enabling environment for scaling midwife-led care. 

“What do you want most in your role as a midwife?” Share your answer as part of the What Women Want: Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Demands initiative and have your voice heard!

What Women Want: Midwives' Voices, Midwives' Demands is surveying midwives about what they want and need to better serve women in their care and for themselves as midwives. Survey results will inform the development of targeted advocacy agendas at the country level as well as globally – to be taken forward not only by local midwives' associations, the International Confederation of Midwives, and White Ribbon Alliance, but also by gender equality, human rights, and other champions – to create real, lasting, positive change for midwives and women all over the world.