Mommy 'mob' urges increased support for breastfeeding

“Hakab na! Hakab na! Hakab na!”

This was the battle cry of 94 mothers, their older children, and several supporters at a breastfeeding “flash mob” event in Manila on Saturday as part of a campaign to spread awareness of the economic, emotional and health benefits of breastfeeding.

Mass breastfeeding activities such as this have been held in many other countries, but this was the first time it has been done in the Philippines. Apart from the Manila event, breastfeeding mobs were also held on the same day in Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro and Davao Cities.

The Manila event was supposed to be held at the Rajah Sulayman Park in Malate, but with strong rain lashing the metro and even flooding some streets, Aristocrat Restaurant right next to the park opened its doors to the moms, letting them set up and hold their event inside.

While only five moms were able to make it to the Bacolod event, more than 30 moms in Davao City and nearly 100 moms in both the Manila and Cagayan de Oro events brought the total to more than 225 participants, according to the event's Facebook page.

Nearly one hundred moms gathered in Aristocrat Restaurant on Saturday for the breastfeeding "flash mob" event.

The event, held in the middle of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1 to 7), was held not just to encourage more women to breastfeed their children, but to urge the government and the private sector to support breastfeeding through actions such as instituting longer maternity leaves and putting up breastfeeding stations in the workplace.

“We just really want to create a harmonious culture of breastfeeding in the Philippines. We want to encourage mothers to become more confident while breastfeeding in public,” said Benz Co-Rana of Newlyweds@Work, one of the event's organizers, in a statement.

At the Manila event, moms sat on the floor of the restaurant to breastfeed their babies as supporters held up signs calling for more support for the practice of breastfeeding and for the Milk Code, which promotes breastfeeding and regulates the marketing of breast milk substitutes and supplements.

Children also joined in, waving signs that said “We were breastfed” and “I can solve 100-piece puzzles at age 3.”

Holding up signs, breastfeeding advocates and young children showed their support for the moms.

 

The four-city activity was organized by Breastfeeding Pinays, LATCH, Kaya Women Empowerment and Support Group, Arugaan, Newlyweds@Work, Tickled Moms, Davao's Mommy Sense, Cagayan De Oro's Mommy Bright Side, the Bacolod Mom and Baby Club and bloggers Jenny Ong (Chronicles of a Nursing Mom) and Eliza Ypon (The Painter's Wife). —KG, GMA News