This week is National Breastfeeding Week, and Bay County health officials will be holding an event this weekend to promote breastfeeding and help mothers.
Saturday’s “Celebration and Big Latch On” event will run from 9:30 in the morning to noon at the Springfield Community Church in Panama City. Bay County Health is partnering with several breastfeeding groups in the Panhandle for this event. Agency spokeswoman Heather Kretzer says events like these are important for mothers and babies.
“This year’s theme for World Breastfeeding Week is “Breastfeeding: Foundation of Life!” Breastfed infants have a lower rate of infections, asthma, obesity later in life and also SIDS—which is Sudden Infant Deaths Syndrome,” she said. “There’s also health benefits for the mothers. They have a reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and postpartum depression.”
August is also National Breastfeeding Month, and Kretzer says health officials encourage employers and child care providers to be “Breastfeeding Friendly.” There are 11 total in Bay County that have this distinction.
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