Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week in the Bay

Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week in the Bay

This year’s World Breastfeeding Week will see mothers across New Zealand attempting to break the record set last year of 1564 women breastfeeding simultaneously.

Locations are being set up across New Zealand for mothers and babies to come together and celebrate breastfeeding.

Toi Te Ora – Public Health Service has been working to support two Big Latch On venues in the Bay of Plenty. Those wanting to join the event in Tauranga, which has been organised by the Breastfeeding Advocacy and Advisory Group for Western Bay of Plenty, can come along to Bayfair Shopping Centre, opposite Farmers at Mount Maungauni at 10am on Friday 3rd August. Whakatane mothers wanting to join the event can come along to Whakatane Library at 9.30am on Friday 3rd August. This Big Latch On has been organised by Ukaipo.

The Big Latch On will also be held at other venues across the Bay of Plenty:

• Katikati – Katikati Midwives Clinic, 14 Jocelyn Street, Katikati
• Kawerau - Tuwharetoa Health, Ranfurly Building, Kawerau
• Opotiki - Whakatohea Iwi Social & Health Services, 128 Church St, Opotiki
• Tauranga – Grindz Café, 50 First Avenue, Tauranga

For contact details, visit the Women’s Health Action Trust website – www.womens-health.org.nz

This year it is anticipated that even more mothers will participate in the Big Latch On which will again break the record, which has been broken every year since 2005.

World Breastfeeding Week takes place annually in the first week of August in over 170 countries. Every year World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) sets a theme for Breastfeeding Week, this year it is “Understanding the Past - Planning the Future, celebrating 10 years of WHO/UNICEF's Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding”.

Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service recommends that mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months and then continue to breastfeed along with the introduction of solid foods.

For more information about World Breastfeeding Week and the Big Latch On event visit www.toiteorapublichealth.govt.nz/breastfeeding_week or www.womens-healthorg.nz

Toi Te Ora – Public Health Service’s position statement on breastfeeding can be found here - www.toiteorapublichealth.govt.nz/position_statements

ENDS

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