Monday November 25 marked the first day of National Breastfeeding Week 2013 in Anguilla. This event is celebrated in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in over 170 countries every year to encourage exclusive breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. A meeting was held at the Teacher’s Resource Centre in Anguilla to discuss natural breastfeeding and to introduce Anguilla’s first Breastfeeding Support Group.
Golden bows were pinned on several of the fourteen members and were also given out to all attendees. According to the support team the golden bow is a lesson in the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding. The use of the gold color symbolizes that breastfeeding is the golden standard in infant feeding against which any other alternative should be compared and judged. The first loop of the bow represents the mother and the second loop the child. The knot, which holds the two loops together, represents the father, the foundation without whom there would be no successful breastfeeding.
Health Educator Ms. Rochelle Rogers stated, “Back in the day those companies which sold baby products did an intensive marketing effort from 1940 and onward. Women were no longer breastfeeding. They were using formula. In developing countries they actually promoted formula as being better than breast milk, which is untrue. So many babies were being malnourished because they were getting knock off formula, which had tainted formula so the babies weren’t getting the proper nutrition.”
The support team hopes to achieve the goal to achieve baby friendly hospitals by 2014 and to have as many members trained in Anguilla as possible.
Article by Josharmond Romney
