DavOr moms promote breastfeeding

DAVAO CITY — To further promote breastfeeding, around 221 Davao Oriental mothers and their infants joined the Hakab Na! on 4 August in Mati City.

Hakab Na! was locally organized by Mati Moms, a homegrown organization founded by Rejee-Lou F. Mejia and was composed of Matinian mothers from all walks of life, Mati Moms actively advocates for breastfeeding.

The event is part of the larger international breastfeeding event, Global Big Latch On, and received support from both the City of Mati LGU and the Provincial Government of Davao Oriental.

The event’s highlight was the simultaneous latch-on of infants by their mothers.

The event aims to empower mothers to become breastfeeding advocates and make the City of Mati a supportive and enabling environment for breastfeeding.

Mejia, the lead organizer for Hakab Na! 2024 in Mati, emphasized that the event and Mati Moms advocate breastfeeding to counter infant malnutrition among Matinians.

She shared that before Hakab Na!, the breastfeeding rate in Mati was only 55.1 percent, but it has now increased to around 97 percent.

“Our advocacy focuses on breastfeeding as a means to counter or stop malnutrition among infants in our city. Fortunately, the rate has steadily increased,” Mejia added.

The group also advocates for the revival of breastfeeding as a tradition among mothers, even with the advent of formula feeding and the abundance of powdered formulas on the market.

The sight of 221 mothers breastfeeding their infants together symbolized the unity and shared commitment of mothers to bridging the health and emotional connection gap with their infants.

The event was attended by representatives from the Department of Health Region 11, the Provincial Health Office, the City of Mati Health Office, and the Mati Moms organization.

The enthusiastic mothers also danced with their infants to different music, led by representatives of Mati Moms.

Additionally, Hakab Na! provided goodies to the mothers and their babies, including care packages, appliances, and other infant essentials.

Hakab Na! 2024 not only celebrated the act of breastfeeding but also aimed to create a strong community of empowered mothers dedicated to improving infant health in the City of Mati.