Breastfeeding Month Activities

UPDATED with two more events! Read on.

August is just around the corner! Oh, how time flies. It also means my daughter will be celebrating her birthday again, and she’s turning four!

Unexpectedly, my August became my second December for this year with the line up of activities related to breastfeeding. My breastfeeding advocacy inspired me to continue this blog (see breastfeeding posts on my blog here), take a peer counselor certification so I could properly and formally address breastfeeding concerns among friends and the community, and to carry on with breastfeeding my daughter until she weans herself. She is semi-weaned, nursing only once a day, some days none.

Here are a few activities wherein you can participate as well. Breastfeeding or not, we do hope everyone shows support by sharing this blog post on your social media as well. Better yet, join us in one of our activities.

August 2: Breastfeeding Pinays: HAKAB NA!

Click link to join: http://bit.ly/HakabNaMnl2014

Breastfeeding Pinays is a collective of mothers, fathers, lactation counselors, and medical professionals who support, champion, and educate about breastfeeding. Admins of the Facebook Group is organizing this year’s simultaneous breastfeeding with The Big Latch On, aiming for a bigger number of attendees. The Hakab Na is being done to promote breastfeeding, especially in public.

Last year, despite heavy rains, we were able to gather at Aristocrat Restaurant in Roxas Blvd., Manila who graciously opened its doors as the event was supposed to be held outdoors. We actually had second thoughts on joining, but my husband, who was my number one supporter in giving the best food for our daughter. He wrote about last year’s activity here.

See you on this year’s hakaban on August 2 at Taguig.

August 9: LATCH BUMP: Breastfeeding Uncovered: Mission Possible

August will be an even busier month for me especially now that I’m part of an organization called LATCH. LATCH is a non-profit breastfeeding support and education group. Last June, I and the other Batch 5 LATCHers had a chance to talk about breastfeeding at a Yahoo Philippines Spotlight event.

It was my first time to talk about breastfeeding, so I am super duper excited and nervous that I have committed myself to give another talk–a breastfeeding testimonial–on July 26 at The Medical City! I can remember how I was more nervous giving that talk last month to a full house of pregnant moms and fathers (hooray for joining us!). It was so special because it was held a day before Fathers Day.

Last year, I was able to attend Dr. Jack Newman’s talk here in Manila, and was even luckier to have won the ticket for it (thanks, Eliza Ypon of The Painters Wife!). After Dr. Newman’s successful visit last year, LATCH is once again fortunate to host him, this time in three cities!

I had no idea who Dr. Newman was until I attended the whole day talk. It was Aria’s third birthday, but I knew I could not miss that chance. Here’s some scenes from last year’s event, and why we want you to attend, too.

Here’s a newsclip about that talk that came out on Salamat Dok:

So, if you are a mother, father, medical practicioner, or would want to support and promote breastfeeding more, attend his talk. See photo below for details and register now:

August 23: Breastfeeding Seminar hosted by Yahoo Philippines

Yahoo Philippines hosts this breastfeeding talk on August 23 at the Yahoo Philippines headquarters. This is where I had my first talk last June.

August 30: Thanksgiving Mass in honor of Our Lady of La Leche

Just recently, a friend reached out to form a core group who will help propagate the devotion to Our Lady of La Leche, the title of our Blessed Mother in honor of nursing mothers. The Our Lady of La Leche Movement is planning to hold a special mass in celebration of breastfeeding month on August 30 at Mandaluyong. Watch out the blog or my Facebook Page for more details.–>UPDATE: See post here for complete details.

I prayed through her intercession especially on the early days of my nursing journey. An image of Our Lady is enshrined at our church, Shrine of Jesus. I was also fortunate that my church community was supportive of mothers like me to breastfeed their children. By taking the peer counselor certification of LATCH, I am praying that God will use me to promote, educate, and support more people in their breastfeeding journey.

And to cap off August, Aria will celebrate her fourth birthday! Actually, we still don’t have plans for that day. It will be a Sunday, so we have Mass Service. Will ask that our family be the main offerors for the 10:30AM Mass on August 31, so we invite you to join us and pray with us for the wonderful blessing of family. The Shrine of Jesus Children’s Choir serves for that mass as well, so it will be your chance to hear my choir sing Mass songs. So, please join us!

Likewise, it is the Feast Day of Saint Raymond Nonato, the patron saint of pregnant mothers, childbirth, and children. It was with such serendipity that my daughter was born on that Feast day, when we were all expecting a September baby. Read my birthing story here.

Check back the blog for more breastfeeding month activities. See you in one of them, or in all of them!

~ Touringkitty