The Big Latch On

Media release 31 July 2008

The Big Latch On

``The Big Latch On this year has already broken it’s first record with over 100 venues throughout New Zealand. It’s exciting and means that we are also likely to break the national record for the ‘most women breastfeeding simultaneously’,’’ says Louise James national organiser of the ‘Big Latch On’ from Women’s Health Action.

There are venues from North Cape to Bluff. From the Cabbage Tree Café in Whangarei to the Invercargill Parents Centre , the some of the venues in between include the Taupo Library, Rahotu Plunket, Masterton YMCA, Chipmunks in Timaru, Turuki Health Care in Mangere, Market Cross Bed and Breakfast in Karamea, Ministry of Health in Wellington, Orakei Marae, Whanganui Council Chambers, Dunedin Hospital, St David’s Church Palmerston North, Playcentres and for the fourth consecutive year Jeanna’s home in Lumsden!

In 2005 New Zealand set a record and every year since has been breaking it. This year the organisers are expecting to move into four figures with over 1000 mothers participating. New Zealand launches the international World Breastfeeding Week with the ‘Big Latch On’ here on Friday 1st of August at 10am.

At 10.30am the mothers are asked to latch their babies on and breastfeed for one minute to be in the running for a gold medal. Medals are being distributed around the world, by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action to countries that achieve 50 (bronze), 100 (silver), & 200 (gold) women participating.

The theme this year is ‘Mother Support – going for gold’ to coincide with the Olympics and highlight the need for all of us to support breastfeeding. The gold standard for breastfeeding is for mothers to achieve 6 months exclusive breastfeeding and continue with appropriate complementary foods for two years or more. To complement this and to reinforce the ‘support’ theme Women’s Health Action has developed a fun quiz for distribution to all Big Latch On participants so they can get an idea of how supportive they really are.

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