Hakab Na 2014: Supporting breastfeeding Filipino mothers

MANILA, Philippines - Breastfeeding is a public health issue. While some mothers say breastfeeding came to them naturally, some have faced difficulties early on. In a mother’s most vulnerable stage, she needs to get the best support from the birthing center or hospital to the home, workplace, and within the community. In celebration of the National Breastfeeding Awareness Month in August, the Facebook group Breastfeeding Pinays (BFP) will organize a half-day breastfeeding activity called Hakab Na 2014. The event seeks to promote the importance of providing proper support to all breastfeeding Filipino mothers and their families.

Hakab Na 2014 will be held simultaneously in Manila, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, and Iloilo on August 2, 2014 (Saturday) at 9 a.m.

The venues for the event are as follows:

Manila: Philippine Army Officers Clubhouse in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City

Cebu: Ayala Center Cebu Active Zone in Cebu City (hosted by the Cebu Breastfeeding Club)

Davao: Stockbridge International School (formerly Tumble Tots) in Davao City (hosted by Breastfeeding Pinays – Davao)

Negros Occidental: Santuario de la Salle, University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City (hosted by the Bacolod Mom and Baby Club and the Institute for Negros Development)

Iloilo: Iloilo Provincial Capitol in Iloilo City (hosted by the Breastfeeding Ilonggas)

Cagayan de Oro: Ororama Cogon on August 1 at 9 p.m.  (hosted by Mommy Bright Side)

Hakab Na 2014 will be held in coordination with the Big Latch On – an international activity where mothers will latch on their babies from different locations around the world at the same time. In 2013, a total of 14,536 mothers in 845 locations in 28 countries participated in the event.

This will be the second year that the now 25,000-strong BFP group will be staging Hakab Na. BFP expects to surpass last year’s record of more than 225 mothers who simultaneously latched their babies, including 100 mothers in Manila, 90 in Cagayan de Oro and 30 in Davao.

In the Manila event, BFP will be conducting a talk on Breastfeeding Babies Beyond 6 Months. A minimal registration fee of P150 will be collected for every mother and baby/child pair which includes a baby souvenir shirt, snacks ,and loot bag and P100 each for companions seven years old and above to cover snacks. 

Interested parties may register at http://bit.ly/HakabNaMnl2014