Celebrating National Breastfeeding Month 2026
Each year, the US Breastfeeding Committee coordinates National Breastfeeding Month. From global and national observances to cultural and social observances, National Breastfeeding Month (#NBM) is a time for celebrations, outreach, and advocacy to build a landscape of support for infants and families.
The celebrations begin the first week of August with World Breastfeeding Week (#WBW) and continue until September 22! This year’s theme, RISE – Resilience • Interdependence • Self-Determination • Empowerment, highlights the lactation community’s strengths and dedication to advocate for a landscape of breastfeeding support for every family. #WBW and #NBM celebrate the work of advocates, globally and nationally, who are protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding for the health and development of our youngest community members.
The US Breastfeeding Committee’s website offers a list of the cultural, social, national, and global observances. Here are some highlights.
From the Grassroots to the Treetops:
National Breastfeeding Month is a Time to Learn, Connect, and Act!
World Breastfeeding Week 2026 (#WBW2026) • August 1-7
2026 Theme
Breastfeeding
for a Sustainable Start in Life:
Strengthen What Works
World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) began in 1992 as a campaign dedicated to building awareness and support for breastfeeding. Since 2016, World Breastfeeding Week has aligned with the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has combined the SDGs under four Thematic Areas. #WBW2026 is focusing on the impact of breastfeeding on Nutrition, Food Security, and Poverty Reduction. The campaign will measure progress and highlight what is working and what needs improvement.
Tracking and evaluating progress in each country will help us learn what the important elements of breastfeeding are.
World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA)
National WIC Breastfeeding Week 2026 • August 1-7
WIC Breastfeeding Support
Learn Together. Grow Together.
National WIC Breastfeeding Week also is the first week of August. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the week celebrates with World Breastfeeding Week to promote and support breastfeeding as the best source of nutrition for an infant. From the 2026 Proclamation: WIC joins professional health organizations and breastfeeding advocates worldwide in celebrating World Breastfeed Week on August 1 – 7 of each year to collaboratively raise awareness of the numerous benefits of breastfeeding; to strengthen individual, family, and community support for breastfeeding; to further strategies that promote breastfeeding practices; and to support increased breastfeeding rates.
Indigenous Milk Medicine Week (IMMW2026)• August 8-14
2026 Theme
We Keep the Fires Lit:
Rising Through Milk Medicine
The Indigenous Milk Medicine Week 2026 theme honors, celebrates, and lifts up the community’s Indigenous Milk Medicine journeys. From the IMMW Facebook page: “Fire represents the responsibility to tend what sustains life – [their] knowledge, families, and [their] future generations. Even amid hardship and shifting challenges, Indigenous communities endure through brilliance, adaptation, and relationship. First foods carry memory and medicine forward, nourishing not only [their] bodies and [their] babies, but the continuity of [the] communities.” Programs and activities are scheduled for each day. Check out the week’s schedule on social media – Instagram and Facebook!
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week (AANHPIbreastfeedingweek2026) • August 15-21
2026 Theme
Better Data, Better Care for AANHPI Families
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (#AANHPI) Breastfeeding Week was created to decrease inequities and normalize chestfeeding/breastfeeding in the AANHPI communities by improving breastfeeding/chestfeeding education and support practices. This year, the AANHPI Lactation Collaborative is seeking to create a resource directory that will be shared publicly on the website: If you are a professional who identifies as AANHPI or works PRIMARILY with AANHPI communities in birthing or lactation, the Collaborative invites you to complete a 10-minute nationwide survey and share it with your colleagues. In addition to being a part of the resource directory, your responses will help inform future projects focused on increasing access to lactation support and resources for AANHPI birthing people. Responses are confidential other than information voluntarily provided for the AANHPI resource directory. To take the survey, go to: https://tinyurl.com/AANHPIResourceMap
Military Lactation Celebration • August 22-24
Global Military Lactation Community
Inclusive Lactation Support
Since 2015, the Global Military Lactation Community has hosted a three-day lactation celebration for U.S. military families worldwide. The organization is dedicated to lactation-based peer support, education, and advocacy for military families because every family’s journey is unique. The Global Military Lactation Community advocates for meaningful policy change and contributes to the dismantling of barriers to evidence-based lactation support to meet the changing needs of global military lactation communities.
Black Breastfeeding Week (#bbw26) • August 25-31
2026 Theme
We All We Got:
15 Years of Community, Care, and Collective Power
Black Breastfeeding Week (#BBW) was created in 2014 to raise awareness of the high black infant mortality rate, the lack of diversity in the lactation field, and unique cultural barriers among Black families. #BBW continues to lift up the hard work, dedication, and initiatives that support breastfeeding among Black families. This year, #BBW announced the launch of the Community Legacy Project, “a national art initiative created to honor the memories, milestones, people, and moments that have shaped Black breastfeeding journeys.” From the Black Breastfeeding Week website: “Community organizations hosting a Black Breastfeeding Week event—or participating in Irth’s National Milk Crawl—can register to receive a FREE Community Legacy Organizer Kit. Register to receive a FREE Community Legacy Organizer Kit.” You can submit your events on the BBW website.
Workplace Lactation Week • September 1-7
2026 Theme
Work. Pump. Advance. Empowering the modern parent.
Workplace Lactation Week aligns with Labor Day and celebrates the contributions and dedication of nursing parents in the workplace. This week is an important resource for parents, employers, and policy makers by offering information, resources, and best practices to promote a lactation-friendly work environment that is welcoming and supportive for everyone. From the website: “This theme shifts the conversation from foundational support to active advocacy, ensuring that choosing to breastfeed or pump never means hitting a career ceiling.” Check out the Workplace Lactation Week events, including a request to share a photo of your lactation room, a Lactation Room Contest, and two workplace support webinars. Instagram and Facebook offer additional details.
Semana de la Lactancia Latina • September 8-14
2026 Tema
Raíces de Amor:
Lactancia con Orgullo y Poder
Roots of Love:
Breastfeeding with Pride and Power
La Semana de la Lactancia Latina se creó en 2023. El tema de 2026, «Raíces de amor: amamantar con orgullo y fuerza», rinde homenaje a las raíces culturales, la fortaleza y el poder de las familias latinas en la lactancia. La Semana de la Lactancia Latina destaca las voces, las diversas culturas y la resiliencia de las comunidades latinas. Esta semana crea conciencia sobre las barreras específicas que enfrentan estas comunidades y aboga por la justicia lingüística.
Semana de la Lactancia Latina was created in 2023. The 2026 theme, Roots of Love: Breastfeeding with Pride and Power, honors the cultural roots, strength, and power of Latinx families in breastfeeding. Semana de la Lactancia Latina lifts up the voices, the diverse cultures, and the resilience of Latinx communities. The week brings awareness to the unique barriers faced by the Latinx communities and advocates for language justice.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Breastfeeding Week • September 16-22
2026 Theme
Close the Gap, Strengthen the Bridge:
Community, Care, & Connection
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Breastfeeding Week is in its second year! The theme – Close the Gap, Strengthen the Bridge: Community, Care, & Connection will focus on creating connections, increasing care access, and strengthening Community support for Deaf and Hard of Hearing families. The DC Breastfeeding Coalition announced the inaugural Deaf and Hard of Hearing Breastfeeding Week and fostered the formation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Breastfeeding Collective. The Collective works to empower “Deaf and Hard of Hearing families with accessible breastfeeding education, support, and community because language [and breastfeeding] access matters from birth.“