Representatives with the Mississippi Department of Health and volunteers were recently out in full force to show their support for breastfeeding awareness. The group held a walkathon through the downtown Yazoo area, complete with signs and informative posters. August was National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. The breastfeeding campaign hopes to empower women to commit to breastfeeding by highlighting new research showing that babies who are exclusively breastfed for six months are less likely to develop ear infections, diarrhea and respiratory illnesses, and may be less likely to develop childhood obesity.