August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month

~Promoting breastfeeding awareness in the Florida Keys~

KEY WEST – In light of National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, August, the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County encourages Florida Keys residents to learn about the importance of breastfeeding and how to make breastfeeding work for mothers and their babies.

Breastfeeding benefits both mothers and their babies. For example, if 90 percent of US families followed guidelines to breastfeed exclusively for six months, the US would annually save $13 billion from reduced medical and other costs (Surgeon General’s Call to Action, 2011). Breastfeeding protects against a variety of diseases and conditions in infants, including diarrhea, respiratory illnesses, and diabetes. Breastfeeding has also shown to decrease the likelihood of overweight or obesity during childhood. There are also maternal health benefits to breastfeeding, including decreased postpartum bleeding and menstrual blood loss, and decreased disk of breast and ovarian cancers.

The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program of the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County, in partnership with the Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition, will be hosting two Big Latch On events. In this worldwide event and in effort to break the current global Big Latch On record this year, thousands of breastfeeding women are expected to come together at registered locations to all latch on their child at the same time.

The Big Latch On: Two Events

Islamorada

 

Friday, July 31 at 10AM

Founders Park

87000 Overseas Hwy.

Islamorada, FL 33036

(Mile Marker 87, Bayside)

 Key West

 

Saturday, August 1 at 10AM

Peace Covenant Presbyterian Church

2610 Flagler Ave.

Key West, FL 33040

(Flagler Avenue and Venetian Drive)

 

Breastfeeding families and supporters are encouraged to attend.

 

Aims of the Big Latch On:

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]