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Photos: Over 100 Breastfeeding Moms Gather In Times Square
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 8, 2016
Modified Aug 8, 2016
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 8, 2016
Modified Aug 8, 2016
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After last year's successful inaugural Big Latch On, more than 100 headed to Times Square on Saturday to celebrate the beauty and importance of breastfeeding.
The event, like the Brooklyn one, was to help kick-off World Breastfeeding Week,
Breastfeeding World organized the event, and issued this statement about breastfeeding:
Celebrated in 120 countries, [Global Big Latch On] marks the signing of the WHO/UNICEF document “Innocenti Declaration”, which lists the benefits of breastfeeding and the global and governmental goals. This year NYC Breastfeeding World aims to break the current 2015 record of 14,889 children breastfeeding across 845 locations, and the 2014 record for numbers of countries taking part (31), numbers of breastfeeding women attending (14,173) and total attendance (23,906).
Breastfeeding contributes to the normal growth and development of babies/children with research demonstrating that children who are not breastfed are at an increased risk of infant morbidity and mortality, adult obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, premenopausal breast cancer, and ovarian cancer (for both mom and baby). The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby's life to enhance these benefits, continuing to breastfeed for two years, and/or as long afterward as is reciprocally desired by a woman and her child.
According to Breastfeeding World, there were "a total of 303 breastfeeding supporters including: 105 breastfeeding moms & 101 children latched."
After the latch on in Times Square, the group headed to Bryant Park to relax and get to know each other. Photographer Sai Mokhtari noted that there were "a good number of dads on toddler patrol," and adds there was a "bubble guy, guitar guy and glitter body painting to keep the kids occupied. It was a nice, very chill family hang."
It is legal for women to breastfeed in public and private places in New York; they should never be shamed or bullied into stopping or nursing in a bathroom. The NYCLU says the places where women are allowed to breastfeed "includes stores, day care centers, doctors’ offices, restaurants, parks, movie theaters and many other places. No one can tell you to leave any of these places because you are breastfeeding, and no one can tell you to breastfeed in a bathroom, a basement or a private room." Or Target.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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