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Mother’s Day in the United States: Honoring Mothers by Supporting Breastfeeding

Every year on the second Sunday in May, families across the United States celebrate Mother’s Day—a day filled with flowers, cards, and heartfelt appreciation. While brunches and bouquets are lovely traditions, Mother’s Day also offers an opportunity to reflect more deeply on what mothers truly need to thrive. For many, especially in the early postpartum period, one of the most meaningful forms of support is help with breastfeeding.

The Origins of Mother’s Day—and Its Deeper Meaning

Mother’s Day in the U.S. was officially established in 1914, largely through the efforts of Anna Jarvis, who envisioned it as a day to honor the sacrifices mothers make for their children. While the holiday has become commercialized over time, its original intent still resonates: to recognize, uplift, and support mothers in tangible ways.

Today, that support can—and should—include creating environments where breastfeeding is protected, valued, and sustained.

Breastfeeding: A Gift That Requires Support

Breastfeeding is often described as “natural,” but that doesn’t mean it is always easy. Many mothers face challenges such as latch difficulties, pain, low milk supply concerns, and lack of social or workplace support. Organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for about the first six months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding alongside complementary foods.

These recommendations are grounded in strong evidence showing benefits for both infants and mothers:

• For babies: reduced risk of infections, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, asthma, obesity, and type 2 diabetes
• For mothers: lower risk of breast and ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes, and postpartum depression
• For both: enhanced bonding and emotional regulation

Despite these benefits, many mothers stop breastfeeding earlier than they intend—not because they want to, but because they lack adequate support.

What Mothers Really Need on Mother’s Day

If Mother’s Day is about honoring mothers, then it should also be about meeting their real needs. For breastfeeding mothers, meaningful support can look like:

• Time and rest: Taking over household responsibilities so a mother can feed and recover
• Encouragement: Affirming her efforts and normalizing challenges
• Access to care: Connecting her with lactation care providers or peer support groups
• Workplace advocacy: Supporting policies like paid parental leave and lactation accommodations

In fact, systemic support plays a crucial role. Policies such as the Break Time for Nursing Mothers law have helped protect a mother’s right to pump at work, but gaps remain—especially for those in hourly or informal employment.

Reframing the Celebration

This Mother’s Day, consider shifting the focus from gifts to genuine support. Ask:

• What would make this mother’s day easier?
• How can I help her meet her feeding goals?
• What barriers can I help remove?

Sometimes, the most meaningful gift isn’t something you can wrap—it’s a quiet hour to rest, a supportive conversation, or practical help during a long day.

A Collective Responsibility

Supporting breastfeeding mothers isn’t just a personal gesture—it’s a societal responsibility. Communities, healthcare systems, and policymakers all play a role in ensuring that mothers have the resources they need.

Initiatives like the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative have shown that when systems are designed to support breastfeeding from the start, outcomes improve significantly.

Closing Thoughts

Mother’s Day is more than a celebration—it’s a call to action. By aligning our appreciation with meaningful support, we can help mothers not only feel valued but also succeed in their breastfeeding journeys.

This year, alongside the flowers and cards, consider giving a gift that lasts far beyond the day: understanding, advocacy, and support.

 

 

Donna Walls, RN, BSN, CLC, ANLC

Breastfeeding is the kindest way to care for our babies and our Mother Earth. I never thought of a feeding method as kind or unkind until I started really looking at the impact of the feeding choice on the environment.

Here are some of the ways that breastfeeding shows kindness the planet:

Less water usage

No energy required

No packaging needed

Waste-free feeding

No transportation needed

No adding to pollution

No raw resources needed

Saves habitat and land used for milk production

The Green Feeding Climate Action Tool, developed by the Australian National University and Alive and Thrive, estimates carbon and water footprints associated with consumption of infant formula among infants under 6 months. Findings show that water used in production of infant formula is calculated to be 699 Liters to produce 1 kilogram of formula. Also, formula fed infants under 6 months result in annual global greenhouse gas emissions of between 5.9 and 7.5 billion kg CO₂ (equivalent to the emissions of 2 million cars or what 318 million trees could absorb in 1 year). Please note that there are no carbon emissions from the production and transport of breastmilk.

The International Baby Food Network (IBFAN) and the Geneva Infant Feeding Association (GIFA), have highlighted the environmental costs of formula feeding with studies showing other environmental impacts of artificial milk feeding which include: chemical pollution from formula production and transportation, contamination of waterways causing algae overgrowth; soil contamination and loss of biodiversity. Please note that there is no chemical pollution or soil contamination from breastfeeding.

Formula packaging waste is estimated to be 86,000 tons of metal and 364,000 tons of paper ending up in landfills each year. Feeding supplies including bottles, nipples and storage bags also have a high negative impact. Please note that there is no packaging waste with breastfeeding.

Other studies demonstrate that if infants who were fed exclusively on pumped breastmilk stored in plastic breastmilk storage bags, an infant would ingest 0.61 to 0.89 mg of microplastics a day. Ingestion of microplastics disrupts the microbial balance in the gut microbiome which impacts the infant’s metabolism, immune system, brain function and physical growth.  

When looking at breastfeeding as a Carbon Offset lactation advocates can support the “Global Nutrition Targets” for breastfeeding (Increasing exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months to 60% by 2030) would lead to far greater reductions in greenhouse gas emissions than decarbonizing commercial milk formula manufacturing.”  (Journal of Cleaner Production-2021) Please note that there is no need for decarbonizing in the production of breastmilk.

Climate change and increasingly frequent disasters, are exposing infants and young children to greater risks such as infectious disease, heat stress, and malnutrition due to food supply chain disruptions. It is well documented that breastfeeding strengthens the immune system to reduce the impacts of these stressors. Please note that there is no negative climate impact from breastfeeding.

International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) promotes the concept that adding 1 month of breastfeeding is equal to planting 300,000 trees.

In February of 2026 the FDA issued a statement-  “Given that infants not fed on human breast milk rely primarily on formula as their primary nutritional source, they may experience a greater risk from environmental contaminants.“ The contaminants of particular concern for infants include: heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium, plasticizers such as phthalates, ‘forever chemicals’ like PFAS, microplastics, endocrine disrupting chemicals such as PCBs, dioxins, some pesticides, and flame retardants, and some food additives and dyes. Please note that there is no environmental contamination with microplastics, endocrine disruptors, “forever chemicals” or pesticides with breastfeeding.

Experts from Imperial College London stated “The production of unnecessary infant and toddler formulas exacerbates environmental damage and should be a matter of increasing global concern,” say the team behind a paper in the British Medical Journal.

A recent study by Cadwell et al. states “The environmental and Greenhouse Gas impact of powdered baby formula, and related hazards arising from climate change, can be a relevant factor for health care providers in their advice to families on infant feeding.”

So, as lactation advocates we can be proud of our role as we promote, protect and support a cleaner, safer more sustainable Mother earth through our breastfeeding support.

 

References

BMJ editorial.  Support for breastfeeding is an environmental imperative. 2019; 367 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l5646 (Published 02 October 2019 )Cite this as: BMJ 2019;367:l5646

Smith, JP et al. Estimating carbon and water footprints associated with commercial milk formula production and use: development and implications of the Green Feeding Climate Action Tool. June 13, 2024. Front Nutr. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1371036

 Andresen, E. et al. Environmental Impact of Feeding with Infant Formula in Comparison with Breastfeeding. Int J Environ Res Public Health.May, 2022. PMCID: P MC9180168  PMID: 35681983

Cadwell K, Blair A, Turner-Maffei C, Gabel M, Brimdyr K. Powdered Baby Formula Sold in North America: Assessing the Environmental Impact. Breastfeed Med. 2020 Oct;15(10):671-679. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2020.0090. Epub 2020 Jul 31. PMID: 32758012; PMCID: PMC7575352.

 

 

 

 

April is Earth Month. We asked our colleague and friend, Donna, to give us some suggestions on what we can do to help our families and our earth to stay safe and healthy.

Donna Walls, RN, BSN, CLC, ANLC

Clean Home, Clear Conscience-   (Keeping our Homes Clean-Safely)

I think it is safe to say that we all want a clean home for our families, but getting clean might be a bit more of a problem than we think!!! Maybe, you should be more afraid of the chemicals than the germs- yikes!

Many health-related consumer groups are expressing concern about the use of some cleaning products including the overuse of antibacterials in many of the products we use every day. We hear the commercials promoting antibiotic-free meats and dairy, and we now know why. Research shows that the overuse of these products causes the growth of “superbugs”, which are bacteria that are able to change and become resistant to antibiotics, jeopardizing our health.

In July of 2016 the FDA issued a statement expressing concerns over the safety and effectiveness of antibacterial chemicals in soaps and popular hand sanitizers along with this statement:

“Focusing on children and pregnant women, when these ingredients show up in blood or urine after repeated daily use, it could mean the chemicals are hurting reproductive systems or the production of hormones.”

Then, in August of 2016 the FDA took the next step to ban several antibacterial hand sanitizing chemicals with this statement: There is “No scientific evidence” they are safe or effective. This ban applies to sanitizers that contain 19 researched chemicals, including triclosan (a very common additive).For the complete list of the 19 chemical ingredients included in the ruling go to: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/09/02/492394717/fda-bans-19-chemicals-used-in-antibacterial-soaps

This will be a huge change for many families who have been led to believe that using this short cut hand cleansing method was safe and effective. But, our mothers were right when they said- go wash your hands! The CDC confirms mother’s words of wisdom:

“Handwashing is like a “do-it-yourself” vaccine”—it involves five simple and effective steps you can take to reduce the spread of diarrheal and respiratory illnesses (Wet, Lather, Scrub, Rinse, Dry for 20 seconds).  Regular handwashing, is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it can prevent many of the most common illnesses. Handwashing is a win for everyone, except the germs.”

The CDC has declared October 15th as Global Handwashing Day.

Handwashing 101

When to wash hands:

Before eating

Before and after preparing food

After using the toilet

After changing an infant’s or child’s diaper

After sneezing and/or coughing

After contact with an ill persons

 What if I am not close to water?

If there is no water source available a temporary, acceptable substitute is an alcohol-based hand cleanser with 60% alcohol. A caution is issued for proper storage of alcohol cleansers to keep out of reach of children! This should only be used when water is not available.

Another natural option is to make your own with distilled water and pure essential oils:

Begin with 1 oz distilled water and add 10 drops each of lavender and lemon pure essential oils (artificial or fragrance oils do not contain antimicrobial properties). Place a dime-sized amount in the palm of the hand and work well into skin.

Now, for another perspective on cleanliness- can our need for cleanliness actually be harming us? Are we being too clean???? The pandemic brought about a whole new level of fear of germs, especially the covid virus. We were wiping down every surface and object we might possibly come in contact with as a justified panic set in and we were determined to kill all those germs. Of course, we never can kill them all, there’s too many of them and they can cleverly mutate to stay one step ahead of us. Could our obsession with hygiene possibly be jeopardizing our children’s health?

Recent research from the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine shows that children exposed to bleach actually have more, not fewer infections – including a 20 per cent higher risk of coming down with the flu

“Microbes from fresh food and healthy soil as well as time spent in nature, can improve our children’s health immeasurably. No drug can do what being in the forest can.”(Dr Shetreat-Klein 5-16, The Dirt Cure)

So, let them eat dirt, play in the mud and roll in the grass (and of course, organic lawn care is best)- allow their immune systems to build up antibodies to those germs they will inevitably be exposed to. Let the “good bacteria” from soil and foods grown in healthy soils set up a healthy microbiome to strengthen their own immune system. We can’t kill all the germs but hopefully we can support children’s own ability to fight off many illnesses.

Some other cleaning product “ingredients” of concern

Formaldehyde is a preservative in many products. Exposure during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, congenital anomalies, low birth weight, and premature birth.

Chlorine bleach – dioxin (a known carcinogen) can be released from chlorine bleach.

Clorox was classified as hazardous in 2012 in the Hazard Communication Standard. (OSHA)

Studies have shown that women exposed to chemical disinfectants and sterilizing agents during pregnancy have a higher risk of miscarriage and preterm birth

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QUATs), can be found in breast milk, and breastfeeding mothers who use more disinfectants or disinfect more frequently may have higher levels in their milk. Exposures to QUATs have been shown to cause rashes, allergic reactions, asthma and  loss of appetite. All-purpose cleaners, bathroom cleaners, and floor cleaners frequently contain QUATs. QUATs are labeled as an active ingredient and usually ends with “ammonium chloride”.

1,4 dioxane is a known carcinogen found in laundry detergent that can damage the kidneys, lungs, central nervous system, and more.

Phthalates are used in many personal care soaps, shampoos (and other personal care products) and even toothpastes. These have been shown to cause disruption in hormonal balances in pregnant women, infants and children. https://www.safecosmetics.org/chemicals/phthalates/

Many of these cleaning products are also known endocrine disruptors- chemicals in the environment that alter the normal functions and actions of human hormones. “It is beyond doubt that EDCs (endocrine disrupting chemicals)  impact health: exposure has been linked with various types of cancer, infertility and reproductive health problems, thyroid problems, early puberty, diabetes, and obesity.” July, 2024, HEAL  (Health and Environment Alliance) Annual Report 2023-2024. Sources of these chemicals in our everyday lives are: laundry detergents, soaps and shampoos, hand sanitizers, dish and dishwasher detergents, oven cleaners, tub and tile cleaners and window cleaners, just to name a few.

So now that you know the concerns, what are the steps we can take to have a clean but safe home? First, do your research. Here is a great resource to help you find information and help

https://www.ewg.org/consumer-guides/ewgs-guide-healthy-cleaning-tips-greener-cleaning

Making your own cleaners is quicker than you think and certainly money-saving.

Some safe alternatives are:

Vinegar

As an all-purpose cleaner mix equal parts of white vinegar and water.

Baking soda. Mix ¼ cup each of baking soda and vinegar to replace toxic toilet bowl cleaners.

Glycerin or castile soaps  for handwashing, bathing and shampoo.

Coarse salt can be used as a “scrub” to scour pots and pans.

Lemon juice and/or fresh, sliced lemons are great for disinfecting cutting boards and counters.

Essential oils can be mixed with water or oils for cleaning and polishing.

For more recipes go to: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/cleaning/22759439/diy-natural-cleaning-products-2

Also, you might consider avoiding or minimizing the use of disposables for cleaning. All these chemical-laden cloths end up in a landfill. So, to help our families and Mother Earth at the same time, consider using reusable cleaning cloths and rags. Even better, save old towels, sheets and pillow cases for use in cleaning!

These are just a few of the inexpensive, simple ways to a “greener”, cleaner house

If you are purchasing cleaning products look for these: Green Seal / EcoLogo

Green Seal and EcoLogo are organizations that provide independent, third party certification of environmentally friendly cleaners and authorize approved products to bear their seals of approval. Both programs restrict certain toxic chemicals. Both require manufacturers to submit data showing that their products are effective and to undergo regular audits to make sure they meet current green standards.

The Environmental Working Group recommends that you use these third-party certified products when you can – their standards are the best out there today

So, armed with good information we can all make safer decisions on keeping our homes clean and our families healthier and maybe save some money as well!!