Every year on August 1 – 7, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action organizes World Breastfeeding Week to raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and the need for global support. World Breastfeeding Week, August 1-7, 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.
To mark this occasion on Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1, 2015 at 10:30am thousands of breastfeeding women and their babies/children across the world will gather in their own communities to take part in the Global Big Latch On, a synchronized breastfeeding event in multiple locations. Our local Big Latch On will take place at Grace Health, 181 West Emmett Street, Battle Creek, MI (corner of Emmett Street & Grant Street).
The first Big Latch On took place in Aotearoa, New Zealand in 2005, it was introduced to Portland, Oregon in 2010 by Small Beginnings Group LLC and has now taken off globally.
This year our goal is to break the current 2013 record of 14,536 children breastfeeding across 845 locations, and the 2014 records for numbers of countries taking part (31), numbers of breastfeeding women attending (14,173) and total attendance (23,906).
Our long-term vision is that one day a Global Big Latch On event will be held within walking distance of every family in the world.
The Global Big Latch On is informed by the principles of community development, providing the opportunity for breastfeeding women to get together in their local communities, host their own events, and identify opportunities for on-going support.
Breastfeeding contributes to the normal growth and development of babies/children. Babies/children who are not breastfed are at increased risk of infant morbidity and mortality, adult obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and premenopausal breast cancer and ovarian cancer (both mom and baby.) 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 2 years and as long thereafter as is mutually desired by a woman and her child.
For more information: Calhoun County Big Latch On – www.biglathon.org
Grace Health – Cheryl Hinds- 269-441-3467 or email: cheryl.hinds@gracehealthmi.org