To celebrate National Breastfeeding Awareness Month in August, Dagit Dumaguete and the Rotary Club of Dumaguete hosted Dumaguete, Hakab Na! 2015.
The activity gathered breastfeeding mothers, lactation coordinators, and breastfeeding advocacy supporters to boost awareness of the health and economic benefits of breastfeeding, promote the importance of providing proper support to breastfeeding mothers, and create a breastfeeding nation.
Judith Vailoces of the Provincial Health Office talked about the countless benefits of breastfeeding, proper positioning, tips on increasing milk flow, and how to overcome most common breastfeeding challenges in a breastfeeding lecture.
A simultaneous breastfeeding activity gathered 176 breastfeeding mothers and babies. Out of 88 participants, a total of 62 successful one-minute latches were recorded.
Admins of Dagit Dumaguete also called on private companies and public offices to comply with the provisions of the Expanded Breastfeeding Act and support breastfeeding employees by putting up lactation stations in their establishments and offices. The law also provides for a lactation policy to be put in place supporting and protecting the breastfeeding mother’s right to express milk during office hours.
Volunteers were represetatives from Apo Gamma Chapter, Apo NORSU petitioning chapter, Catholic Advocates for Religious Action, SU Medicine Students Association, SU Social Work Society, and several individuals including Charmagne Lou Baliquig, Eutiquio Acas Jr., Mark Trayvilla, and Roma Amor Oligo.
