Have you seen the WBW 2011 Theme Yet?

The top story on breastfeeding this past week is U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin's "Call to Action" that everyone can help make breastfeeding easier. The U.S. Surgeon General recognized that there are many barriers to breastfeeding but women "shouldn't have to go it alone. Whether you're a clinician, a family member, a friend, or an employer, you can play an important part in helping mothers who want to breastfeed."

As reported in TIME Magazine, breastfeeding is not just between the mom and baby - rather, it takes a village to help moms succeed in breastfeeding. This is why I strongly believe that breastfeeding education and awareness should be directed not just towards moms but to everyone else surrounding them!

Best for Babes' founder, Bettina Forbes, recognizes that moms don't need pressure, judgment or guilt but rather, the removal of "booby-traps" or the institutional and cultural barriers that surround moms everywhere they turn.

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action couldn't have chosen a more appropriate theme for this year's World Breastfeeding Week 2011 - "Talk to Me! Breastfeeding - a 3D Experience"

WABA recognizes that there is a need to consider another aspect of breastfeeding support - communication, which is a 3rd dimension to time (pre-pregnancy to weaning support) and place (home, community, health care system support).

Communication is an essential part of protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding. We live in a world where individuals and global communities connect across small and great distances at an instant's notice. New lines of communication are being created every day, and we have the ability to use these information channels to broaden our horizons and spread breastfeeding information beyond our immediate time and place to activate important dialogue.

Aside from that, WABA believes that the "3D" aspect includes "cross-generation, cross-sector, cross-gender, and cross-culture communication" - sharing of knowledge and experience. Indeed, breastfeeding is not only an experience between me and my child - the child that I am breastfeeding today will also breastfeed future generations! I can also attest how my husband is able to dish out breastfeeding advice which he has absorbed from our consultations with several consultants and counselors and from listening to my rants and raves about breastfeeding.

This is going to be an exciting August 2011 for World Breastfeeding Week!