This one is close to our heart – in every sense – and definitely a very special week to acknowledge.

August 1 – 7, 2010 is World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) – time to get just a bit more organized with your ante-natal group and friends of friends. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) and breastfeeding advocates in more than 170 countries worldwide, will celebrate this fantastic week for the 19^th year running. The theme? “Breastfeeding: Just 10 Steps. The Baby Friendly Way.”

Visit the worldbreastfeedingweek.org site to see these 10 easy steps promoting breastfeeding. WABA see them as making a huge difference to the statistics of this most natural and beneficial way to provide for your baby, on local, national and global levels.

So what are YOU doing for WBW? World wide there are all sorts of celebrations, gatherings and activities in the final stages of preparation. Pot luck lunches, mini golf, photo competitions of breast feeding families to be judged during the week, breastfeeding walkers, simultaneous breast feeding record breakers…New Zealand’s nod to the week is in the form of the Big Latch On where women and their babies gather in an attempt to break the record of women simultaneously breastfeeding! Look at the venues!

From Namibia to Norway, New Zealand to Nepal, it’s all happening in support of one of nature’s very own special ways of looking after the little ones. It’s not too late to organize something in your community! Keep us posted on what you get up to!

We at HOTmilk like to encourage breastfeeding at every opportunity. Our goal is to make women feel supported, strong and sexy during pregnancy and beyond through the wearing of sexy maternity lingerie. If you feel feminine and fabulous, we fully believe each and every decision will come a little easier. In saying this, we are right behind every woman choosing her own path.

The deputy editor of Britain’s Mother and Baby magazine has found herself the centre of a breastfeeding furore for daring to describe her experience of breastfeeding as “creepy”. Is the ensuing outcry not a little OTT? She expressed her opinion based on her experience in an editorial forum which is where opinions are aired. She does not try to impose her opinion on others; she merely relates her own feelings. Surely this is a sign of an empowered woman?

As ever, we’d love to hear your thoughts?

‘Breast Feeding should not be attempted by fathers with hairy chests, since they can make the baby sneeze and give it wind.’

Mike Harding – The Armchair Anarchist’s Almanac.

In China, the Hong Kong Breastfeeding Mothers Association, in their fight to introduce legislation to create public nursing rooms, took it straight to the decision makers when they sent lunch invitations to influential government officials featuring an image of cutlery placed on the rim of a toilet seat. Nice work ladies! The video they produced about this is also well worth a watch.

Somewhat ironically however, a Taiwanese restaurant chain has created an opportunity for those who chose to put their money where there mouth is with their unusual table seating options. Well you cant deny it provides food for thought… but are they breastfeeding friendly is the real question! Then breastfeeding on the toilet wouldn’t be so bad??  What do you think?

“Lifestyle” magazine Better Homes and Gardens seem to have really got themselves in the pooh lately with a recent article boldly proclaiming that while dinning out  “THOU SHALT NOT BREAST FEED AT THE TABLE” but rather moms, needing to feed their precious little ones, should “TAKE IT TO THE LADIES ROOM.”

Not surprisingly the doodoos seem to have have really hit the fan with a strong public backlash to BHG’s commanding article.  And well, as firm advocates for breastfeeding, such advice from a leading magazine has got us at HOTmilk wondering which century BHG are living in!  Let us know what you think or better yet, log on to the BHG facebook page and tell them directly what you think.

Ps. BHG have since recognized the error of judgment made on their part and have issued an official apology on their own blog -  as well as doing so directly on our own HOTmilk blog!  View the comments on this posting to read.