A County Durham NHS team is co-ordinating and taking part in a breastfeeding world record attempt.
The County Durham Infant Feeding Team, part of Growing Healthy County Durham, is co-ordinating the attempt as part of the Global Big Latch On 2018 – a worldwide effort that will aim to see a world-record number of babies and their mum’s ‘latched on’ at the same time.
The Global Big Latch On is part of World Breastfeeding Week, which takes place from 1-7 August. Events take place at registered locations around the world, where people gather together to breastfeed and offer peer support to each other. The events are run by local volunteers and aim to promote breastfeeding.
The County Durham Infant Feeding Team hosts its ‘Latch On’ event in Wharton Park, Durham, on Saturday 4 August 2018, from 10am-12pm, with the ‘Latching On’ taking place at approximately 10.30am.
The Infant Feeding Team in County Durham works to change the attitudes around breastfeeding in County Durham to improve wider health inequalities. The team delivers support to breastfeeding mums via a small team of health visitors, a Staff Nurse and a Specialist Infant Feeding Practitioner.
Locally, inpatient mums and their babies from local hospitals, where services are provided by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, will also be taking part in the Team’s attempt.
Jessica Crombie, Specialist Infant Feeding Practitioner with Growing Healthy County Durham’s Infant Feeding Team, said: “We are delighted to invite breastfeeding mothers and their babies and anyone who wishes to show their support to our Global Big Latch On event at Wharton Park, in Durham.
“Breastfeeding is important as it has been proven to reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, gastric problems, food allergies, asthma, eczema and sudden infant death syndrome as well as reducing risks of breast and cervical cancer in mums.
“Our event takes place during World Breastfeeding Week, and we hope that our ‘Latch On’ will help to promote breastfeeding and contribute to a world-record feed.”
For more information on the Global Big Latch On, visit www.biglatchon.org/.
ENDS
Pictured: Jessica Crombie, Specialist Infant Feeding Practitioner (left) with Fiona Malyan Jacques, Public Health Staff Nurse in the Infant Feeding Team (right).
Notes to editors:
0-19 children’s services in County Durham are provided by Growing Healthy County Durham, part of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust. The Growing Healthy service in County Durham consists of a 0-5 Children’s Health Visiting service and a 5-19 Healthy Child Service. The role of the Health Visiting Service in County Durham is to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of children under five and their families. The 5-19 Healthy Child Service in County Durham promotes and protects the health and wellbeing of all children and young people aged 5 to 19.
For further information please contact:
Jamie Wright, Communications and Marketing Assistant, [email protected] and 01423 557732.