Big Latch On to take place tomorrow
Johnny Bugeja
The Global Big Latch On will be held tomorrow as part of World Breastfeeding Week.
The awareness campaign sees mothers breastfeed their children and highlight the benefits of breastfeeding.
To mark this occasion tomorrow at 10.30am thousands of breastfeeding people and their babies andchildren across the world will gather in their own communities to take part in the Global Big Latch On, a synchronised breastfeeding event in multiple locations.
The local Big Latch On will take place at Café Solo in Casemates Square gathering at 10am for a 10.30 latch.
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action organises World Breastfeeding Week held on August 1 to 7.
World Breastfeeding Week 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.
This year our goal is to break the current Global Big Latch On record of almost 21,500 children breastfeeding at 778 locations, across 28 countries.
The 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 and children, and babies and 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 mum and baby),” the Gibraltar Breastfeeding Association said in a statement.
“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.”
