'Big Latch' program launches World Breastfeeding week
By Steve Herring
Published in News on August 6, 2017 1:45 AM
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Brittny Bell breastfeeds her 20-month-old daughter, Jadaya Hobbs, Saturday morning during the Global Big Latch On held at Wayne UNC Health Care.
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Zeb Frederick is all smiles as he makes a grab for the pinwheel his mother, Camille, was making spin Saturday morning during the Global Big Latch On held at Wayne UNC Health Care as part of the hospital's weeklong observance of World Breastfeeding Week. Zeb, who is 1 year old, was sporting an "Eat at Mom's" T-shirt. The theme for the celebration was about support for mothers.
Breastfeeding is hard and is a full-time job, Lauren Massey said.
And support, such as that offered Saturday morning at Wayne UNC Health Care, is so important, she said.
"I came because we support breastfeeding," said Massey, who is a RN in the hospital emergency department. "I am breastfeeding my second child, and I think that breastfeeding is very important. I think support for breastfeeding is important -- that moms know they are not alone."
It is important for mothers to realize that while there are challenges, there are people and resources available to help them if breastfeeding is what they want to do, she said.
It is important that mothers who want to breastfeed know they are supported, she said.
There can be issues with breastfeeding, Massey said as she held her 6-month-old daughter Alaina.
"With my first baby we breastfed exclusively," she said. "This baby prefers a bottle of breastmilk over actually latching. It is definitely a natural experience, but there can be issues, too."
World Breastfeeding Week is organized each year by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action. It is held Aug. 1 to 7 to raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and the need for global support.
It is celebrated in 120 countries and marks the signing of the WHO/UNICEF document Innocenti Declaration, which lists the benefits of breastfeeding, plus global and governmental goals.
A baby's first immunization can be the mother's breast milk, said Brittani Schultze-Gardner, the hospital's public relations specialist.
Human milk lowers the incidence of many childhood chronic health issues such as juvenile diabetes, childhood obesity and childhood illnesses such as upper respiratory infections and otitis media, she said.
Moms benefit from breastfeeding as well.
Breastfeeding moms have a lower risk of breast, ovarian and cervical cancer, as well as a decreased risk of developing high blood pressure or chronic heart disease, Schultze-Gardner said.
The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby's life to optimize these benefits, continuing to breastfeed for two years and as long thereafter as is mutually desired by a woman and her child.
This is the fourth year Wayne UNC has hosted breastfeeding awareness and support events. Approximately 30 moms registered for the event.
To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week this past Friday and Saturday, thousands of breastfeeding women and their babies/children across the world gathered at 10:30 a.m. in their own communities to take part in the Global Big Latch On, a synchronized breastfeeding event in multiple locations.
The local event was held at 10:30 a.m. in the dining room at Wayne UNC Health Care as the conclusion to a week of hospital-sponsored activities to promote and support breastfeeding.
However, it was the first time it been a host for the Big Latch On. Also new this year is the startup of a breastfeeding support group.
The group will begin meeting on Aug. 24 at 9 a.m. at the hospital.
This year's goal is to break the current global Big Latch On records of:
* 17,992 children breastfeeding during the count time period.
* 17,852 breastfeeding women attending.
* 48,628 total attendance.
"The latch is basically a way for breastfeeding moms to come together, and it is literally like a minute," Schultze-Gardner said. "We time for a minute. We'll latch our babies on at 10:30. A latch counts as a mom feeding a baby a bottle of breast milk; a mom pumping; a mom and baby with a supplemental nutrition system; or an actual baby latched to a breast."
It is a way to "normalize" breastfeeding, said Schultze-Gardner, a mom who is breastfeeding her baby.
The events on Saturday included a panel discussion of moms who have or who are currently breastfeeding. Audience members asked questions as well.
Several vendors who cater to and support moms were set up in the dining room.
"Basically the whole theme for today has been about support for moms," Schultze-Gardner said.