News
Coastal Health District Plans Breastfeeding Week Events in Brunswick
June 27, 2012 - The Coastal Health District Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, Southeast Georgia Health System, Southeast Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition, and La Leche League of Camden and Glynn Counties, will host a World Breastfeeding Week celebration on Saturday, August 4, in Brunswick. The family-friendly events include "A Walk for Breastfeeding Awareness" and "The BIG Latch On" which is an international gathering of breastfeeding women coming together at registered locations around the world to all latch on their child at a set time. Events will begin at 8:30 a.m. on August 4 at the Southeast Georgia Health System, Brunswick campus, located at 3025 Shrine Road.
In addition to the walk and "BIG Latch On," breastfeeding promotional and educational materials will be available and the Southeast Georgia Health System's Wellness on Wheels mobile health vehicle will be on hand to provide free blood pressure and blood sugar screenings. Several door prizes will be given away including an electric breast-pump, nursing bras, baby bibs, books, and t-shirts.
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the declaration made by World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) policy-makers in August 1990 to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.
A study published last year in the journal Pediatrics estimated that the nation would save $13 billion per year in healthcare and other costs if 90 percent of U.S. babies were exclusively breastfed for six months.
The Coastal Health District is committed to helping mothers breastfeed their babies because breastfeeding is so important for good health. Breastmilk is easy to digest, with just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein for a baby's growth and development. Breastfed babies usually get sick less often, because breastmilk contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections.
For more information, call 912-262-3034 or e-mail melightfoot@dhr.state.ga.us.