Enthusiastic Moms and Children Gather for World Breastfeeding Week

Dozens of mothers and their breastfed children — from one week of age to eight years — gathered Tuesday at Middlesex Hospital to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week and spread the word about the benefits of mother's milk.

The annual Middletown event included a half-mile family walk on streets surrounding the hospital, guest speakers, and the sharing of breastfeeding success and support stories from mothers who had given birth or attend the weekly support group at Middlesex, designated as a Baby-Friendly hospital by Baby-Friendly USA.

Nurse practitioner Mary Marshall-Crim credited the hospital administration with supporting breastfeeding mothers so comprehensively. She, Dr. Cliff O’Callahan, pediatrician and senior attending physican; and others on staff spoke to those gathered as the room buzzed with the activity and cries of newborns, babies and toddlers.

Middlesex Hospital follows the lead of the World Health Organization, explained Arthur “Bud” McDowell, III, M.D., Vice President of Clinical Affairs.

"Breastfeeding is critically important and supporting breastfeeding is even more important for the health of your babies, first when they're first born, but also it sets the stage for the rest of their life."

"It takes an entire hospital to help the community in order to support that," McDowell said.

With 10 lactation consultants on staff, "on every shift, on every weekend," Marshall-Crim said, new mothers receive guidance and aid even in the middle of the night.

"We could not do this, we could not even have a support group if it wasn't for our dedicated staff and personnel who actually signed on so we could become a Baby-Friendly Hospital," Marshall-Crim said.

On Saturday, the conclusion of World Breastfeeding Week, the Middletown La Leche League will be participating in The Big Latch On — an attempt to break the world record of women across the world breastfeeding simultaneously.

At 10:30 a.m. at Javapalooza on Main Street, breastfeeding mothers will be asked to feed their baby for one full minute to be counted by volunteers. Mothers are asked to arrive by 10 a.m. to register.

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