World Breastfeeding Week celebrated at Cape Cod Hospital
A group of about 20 mothers and their babies gathered to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week at Cape Cod Hospital on August 2, 2024 in a bright conference room decorated with vases of colorful hydrangea blossoms.
World Breastfeeding Week was started in 1992 and commemorates the 1990 Innocenti Declaration by the WHO (World Health Organization) and UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
The annual celebration occurs during the first week of August and the 2024 theme is “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All.”
It truly felt like a celebration as moms and babies filled the room, all there to say hello, reconnect and enjoy one another’s company, just as they had over the past few months in their breastfeeding support groups provided by The Family Birthplace at Cape Cod Hospital.
“My son Cooper was really colicky when he was younger,” said Sam Moulton as she held her smiling almost 1-year-old in her lap. “It was a great experience and freeing to join this group with other women with crying babies and not have to shush him to be quiet. I enjoy breastfeeding and the support I have here.”
“The (breastfeeding) group is wonderful,” said Hayley Work, while holding her son, 9-week-old Oliver. “They answer any questions I have, and it has been invaluable to talk with other moms who have gone through the breastfeeding journey and have tips for us. The pumping clinic at the end of the month is very beneficial and has been great!”
Emily Hatch with 10-week-old Myles said she has been attending the breastfeeding support group since he was born. “The support and seeing the other mothers with older babies and their camaraderie has helped me know that the hard times get easier as the babies grow. Heather, (Heather Lakatos, RN, IBCLC) has a calm approach and she is very reassuring.”
Healthy People 2030 Goals
Lakatos and Diane Robertson-Milliken, BSN, RN, IBCLC, both lactation consultants who lead the breastfeeding support groups, spoke to those in attendance about the Breastfeeding Week celebration, the successes of the Family Birthplace breastfeeding programs and how they are working to meet the Healthy People 2030 goals of keeping infants safe and healthy through their first year of life.
“We know that breastfeeding increases positive outcomes and support for all, which is the theme this year,” said Robertson-Milliken. “We offer groups at Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital, as well as providing a lactation warm line with access seven days a week. We coordinate with many local groups, including WIC (Women, Infants,& Children Nutrition Program), Outer Cape Health Services, area pediatric offices and other organizations to make sure you have breastfeeding support to meet your goals.”
The consultants worked with 1,455 patients in 2023 through weekly breastfeeding clinics at Cape Cod and Falmouth Hospitals, daily warmline calls, and the one-on-one visits they do six days a week, said Lakatos.
“Ninety-two percent of our babies were breastfeeding in some capacity upon discharge and almost 72 percent went home from the hospital exclusively breastfeeding. These are some of the highest rates in the state of Massachusetts and we are very proud of that!,” she said.
Cindy Horgan, director of family support services at the Cape Cod Children’s Place in Eastham, spoke about what it has meant to her to be a mother of five children.
“When I talk about motherhood, I am so passionate about it because that’s how I became and figured out who I was in this world, and I learned how physically strong I was,” said Horgan. “With my children behind me, I learned I could take risks. I’ve run the Boston Marathon twice; I’ve ridden my bike from Sandwich to Provincetown to raise money for all kinds of charitable events and finished! I swam miles to raise money for things I believed in. I learned about strength and I learned about courage. I went back to college and got my master’s degree.
“Everything I became happened after motherhood. I know I can do more things, but being a mother is the most important thing. I wish you all great things about that part of your journey.”
The celebration ended with refreshments and conversations amongst the moms and the staff as everyone took turns holding babies and enjoying the moment.
More information about breastfeeding support groups, outpatient lactation appointments, and the pumping workshop that provides information on different types of pumps and how to use them and navigate pumping when returning to work is available by calling the Lactation Warm Line at 508-862-5156.
