Breastfeeding mothers and their children, along with breastfeeding advocates including Brunswick Mayor Bryan Thompson, gathered to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week 2012 in the Coastal Health District.

The Coastal Health District Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, Southeast Georgia Health System, Southeast Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition and La Leche League of Camden and Glynn Counties came together in Brunswick to host "A Walk for Breastfeeding Awareness" and "The BIG Latch On" to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week 2012. The family-friendly events drew a large crowd and district staff is already planning a similar event for next year.

 

World Breastfeeding Week activities in the Coastal Health District included "A Walk for Breastfeeding Awareness."

"The Coastal Health District is committed to helping mothers breastfeed their babies because breastfeeding is preventive healthcare," said Monica Lightfoot, Coastal Health District breastfeeding coordinator. "The event was hugely successful. We registered more than 60 participants who showed up with their babies and toddlers, as well as family members, and advocates who came together to support the cause. We could not have pulled it off without a strong commitment from our community partners."

Brunswick Mayor Bryan Thompson kicked off the event by reading a World Breastfeeding Week proclamation. Following the awareness walk, participants took part in "The BIG Latch On," an international gathering of breastfeeding women at registered locations around the world who latch on their child at a set time.

"It was an amazing experience and very motivational, having all breastfeeding advocates together," said Lightfoot.

Breastfeeding promotional and educational materials were available and several door prizes were also given away at the event including an electric breast-pump, nursing bras, baby bibs and books. Everyone participating in the walk received a T-shirt and a flash mob really got the crowd motivated.

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the declaration made by World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) policy-makers in August 1990 to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.

A study published last year in the journal Pediatrics estimated that the nation would save $13 billion per year in healthcare and other costs if 90 percent of U.S. babies were exclusively breastfed for six months. Breast milk is easy to digest, with just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein for a baby's growth and development. Breastfed babies usually get sick less often, because breast milk contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections.

-Story by Sally Silbermann, Risk Communicator/Public Information Officer, Coastal Health District 9-1