A L.A.T.C.H. made in heaven

“A L.AT.C.H. made in heaven”

Sun.Star Davao, Aug. 2, 2014

There is a Jewish proverb that says “God could not be everywhere, so He created mothers”.

With this, the mommy members of  L.A.T.C.H.  Davao Peer Counselors reach out with kindness and understanding to support, promote and protect breastfeeding.

L.A.T.C.H. (Lactation, Attachment, Training, Counseling, Help) is a non-profit organization established in Manila in 2006 that offers quality lactation education and peer counseling services to mothers who wish to breastfeed.

For mothers who are struggling with breastfeeding, the presence of this breastfeeding support group in Davao is indeed “a L.A.T.C.H. made in heaven”!

“We cannot ignore the statistics and data showing the importance of breastfeeding”, shares Keryl Lee-Tan of L.A.T.C.H. Davao.

Keryl continues that as “a global public health recommendation, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.”

According to L.A.T.C.H. Davao, “breastfeeding is a learned skill that both mom and baby need to master, and the most critical time for success is when the baby is brought home from the hospital”.

Keryl explains that “mothers begin to doubt their capacity to nourish their child because of unsupportive family members, lack of information, unnecessary separation of mom and baby during the time of birth or during the hospital stay, and the like”.

But, Keryl clarifies that moms do not need rescuers for breastfeeding; all they need is the right information, encouragement and support.

And, this is where L.A.T.C.H.  Davao comes in as a response to the WHO mother-baby friendly initiative, Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, specifically in step number 10, which is to “foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic”.

L.A.T.C.H. Peer Counselors are, first of all, breastfeeding mothers who have experienced the challenges and benefits of breastfeeding with the awareness that they all create ripples that affect each other.

Recognizing the impact of media and society in undermining breastfeeding, L.A.T.C.H. Davao’s main goal is to educate and empower mothers by giving them the right information, backed up by evidence-based data, information and practices.

The organization regularly holds breastfeeding talks within the city and counseling within the community.

For the breastfeeding month of August, L.A.T.C.H. has invited Canadian pediatrician and breastfeeding expert Dr. Jack Newman for a one-day symposium on breastfeeding. The event will be on August 11, 2014, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at the SMX Convention Center at SM Lanang Premier. This is a tri-city event with Manila holding theirs on August 9 and Cebu on August13.

Topics to be discussed include: “what they didn't teach you about breastfeeding in your training; norms for the first few days and numbers on demand; and norms for a breastfeeding baby”.

For more information about the symposium, go to latchbumpdavao2014.eventbrite.com or email latchdavao@gmail.com or text  (0905) 353-7144.

To receive updates about L.A.T.C.H. Davao's activities, “like” their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LATCHdavao.

 Special thanks to Mima Tan of MIMATHOLOGY for the fabulous photos!

E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. Visit www.momabouttowndavao.blogspot.com.