Aug. 04--STAMFORD -- Toting strollers, diaper bags and babies in arms, a group of Fairfield County moms set a state record Tuesday for simultaneous breastfeeding.
A total of 25 children nursed in the event, conducted in Kosciuszko Park at precisely noon. The organizers, La Leche League of Greenwich-Stamford, said the action was to raise awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding during World Breastfeeding Week.
"Breastfeeding is the species-specific best food for babies," La Leche organizer Annie Brown said. "Just like cows drink cow milk and goats drink goat milk, babies should drink breast milk. It's the normal way to feed a baby."
It was not difficult to set a record for simultaneous breastfeeding for the state, as no group in Connecticut has previously attempted such feat, Brown said. The Greenwich/Stamford group out-lactated West Hartford, where another local branch of La Leche League counted 11 nursing children at a parallel event Tuesday.
The newly minted Connecticut record doesn't begin to approach the world record for simultaneous breastfeeding at a single site, which, at 3,738 children, was set in the Philippines in 2006. During that one-minute event, women gathered in a high-capacity arena in Manila, in part to protest what breastfeeding advocates said is false advertising on the part of milk producers that their products provide adequate nutrition.
Kosciuszko Park provided a more tranquil backdrop, with green grass, a nearby picnic gazebo and breezes over Long Island Sound giving the event the feel of a friendly summertime gathering. Some mothers arrived with stuffed animals or a red Radio Flyer wagon, and most nursed while sitting on blankets in the grass.
Nicole Chu, 29, said she wanted to participate because La Leche League had helped guide her through the challenges of breastfeeding. The non-profit organization offers bi-monthly discussions for new mothers on breastfeeding and newborn parenting, as well as breastfeeding counseling by phone in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
"I just found it really helpful to ask questions and meet other women who are breastfeeding," said Chu, who nursed her 10-week-old daughter, Colette. "I think without support I may have given up."
Among the challenges Chu said she experienced were pain, which eased as she got the hang of it; the amount of time it takes to breastfeed; and getting over being self-conscious about breastfeeding in public.
"It took a while for me to get comfortable with the fact that her nutrition was more important than what other people felt or thought," Chu said.
Staff Writer Magdalene Perez can be reached at magdalene.perez@scni.com 203-964-2240.
-----
To see more of The Stamford Advocate, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stamfordadvocate.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Stamford Advocate, Conn.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail services@mctinfoservices.com, or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544).