Okay, whose idea was this?
Okay breast-feeding is cool and all that, but how does someone go from that to "let's set a world -record for having the most moms suckling there kid at the same time same place?
What, they had 23 in San Antonio and 5000+ world-wide? There's probably more in Rawanda than that at any given point in time getting breast-fed.
What to call it? A suck-in?
And while I'm at it my wife and I had triplets but she only had two breasts, are we monsters for not breast-feeding them?
Soothing music from two acoustic guitars comforted mothers who gathered in a sun-lit room in the San Antonio Food Bank on Saturday to break an international record for the most babies “latched on” to their mothers' breasts at once.
At 11 a.m., 22 San Antonio mothers enjoyed the silence of 23 babies suckling simultaneously.
The first International Quintessence Breastfeeding Challenge was held in 2001, when 856 babies breastfed at once across the globe. This year's event broke the world record set last year, when 5,374 babies, including 15 from San Antonio, nursed at once.
“It's to celebrate breastfeeding and demonstrate promotion and the acceptance of breastfeeding,” said Norma Zuniga, health program manager for the Metropolitan Health District's Women, Infants and Children program. Zuniga said that of the 25,000 pregnant women seen in her office, about 57 percent breastfeed when they leave the hospital. Some of those women stop breastfeeding after they leave, feeling uncomfortable nursing in public or at work.
Jamillah Stevens, 26, stopped nursing her first child after a few months.
“I was young and didn't understand the benefits of it,” she said, while nursing her 7-month-old son, Waylon. “My daughter is the main reason why I breastfeed; I stopped with her, and she has food allergies and gets sick. He doesn't get sick; plus, it's cheaper, and you don't run out of formula in the middle of the night.”
Breast milk has more fat and calories than formula does, protects against many infections and illnesses and brings the baby and mother closer together, Zuniga said.
“It does provide a bond that maybe other types of feeding wouldn't allow,” she said. “Each time the baby gets put to the breast, they're bonding.”
“It does provide a bond that maybe other types of feeding wouldn't allow,” she said. “Each time the baby gets put to the breast, they're bonding.”
Experts say newborn babies need to eat eight to 12 times a day for at least 30 minutes, and babies are hungrier during growth spurts, which typically occur at about 12 days old and then again at 6 weeks old.
Recently, two local hospital systems — Methodist and Baptist — have been designated by the Texas Department of State Health Services as “Texas 10-Step” facilities, which means they fully support breastfeeding families from prenatal parenting classes to postnatal visits.
The San Antonio Breastfeeding Coalition, formed by staff from local hospitals and local organizations, provides resources for women throughout the city; La Leche League is a support group for nursing mothers nationwide, and even the U.S. military has jumped on the breastfeeding bandwagon by encouraging military moms to nurse.
Even so, Zuniga said the statistics from her department are reflective of the local community — slightly more than half of San Antonio moms breastfeed.
“Different parts in San Antonio have low breastfeeding rates, as low as 11 percent of women; but others are as high as 85 percent,” said Mary Beth Blue, president of the San Antonio Breastfeeding Coalition. “The lows are on the South Side and the highs are in the North Side, and across the country, we have found lower rates of breastfeeding in Hispanic and black populations.”
“Different parts in San Antonio have low breastfeeding rates, as low as 11 percent of women; but others are as high as 85 percent,” said Mary Beth Blue, president of the San Antonio Breastfeeding Coalition. “The lows are on the South Side and the highs are in the North Side, and across the country, we have found lower rates of breastfeeding in Hispanic and black populations.”
Back at the challenge, 18-year-old Sean Torres was one of the few men present on Saturday. He was supporting his two sisters, both nursing.
“Breast is best,” said his mother, Terry Torres. “Many women grow up not seeing the breast in its real use, but instead seeing it as a sexual object.”
“Breast is best,” said his mother, Terry Torres. “Many women grow up not seeing the breast in its real use, but instead seeing it as a sexual object.”
