Mom2Mom KMC Hosts Big Latch On and Annual Summer Open House

RAMSTEIN, Germany - July 8, 2015 - PRLog -- On the 1 – 7th of August every year, to raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and the need for global support, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action organizes World Breastfeeding Week. 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.  We are especially excited about this year’s World Breastfeeding Week theme: “Let’s Make It Work” focusing on empowering and supporting women who work “in both the formal and informal sectors, to adequately combine work with child-rearing, particularly breastfeeding. We define work in its broadest form from paid employment, self-employment, season and contract work to unpaid home and care work.” (www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org).

To mark this occasion on Friday the 31st of July and Saturday the 1st of August 2012 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 Big Latch On, a synchronized breastfeeding event in multiple locations.

Our local Big Latch On will take place in conjunction with the Mom2Mom KMC Annual Summer Open House on Saturday, August 1,  from 0930-1230 at Donnelly Park Pavilion on Ramstein Air Base.  This event will also include a Community Fair with representatives from community organizations that support breastfeeding, and young families.  We will also have free activities for the whole family, including a bouncy castle and a breastfeeding photo booth.  Families are encouraged to bring their own picnic lunch and enjoy the day.  Over $500 worth of prizes will be raffled and given away that day.

The first Big Latch On took place in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2005 and has now taken off globally.  In 2014, 13,798 breastfeeding children participated in the Global Big Latch On. The current record was reached in 2013 with 14,536 breastfeeding children participating. This year we are aiming to break this record!  The 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 ongoing support.  Mom2Mom KMC is a community-wide network offering peer support and accurate information about breastfeeding to all families in the KMC.  Our mission is to help each woman reach her individual breastfeeding goals.

Breastfeeding contributes to the normal growth and development of babies/children. 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:

Lauren Foley

Community Outreach Director

outreach@mom2momkmc.org          www.biglatchon.org