Events and Info on World Breastfeeding Week (1 – 7 August 2024)

1 August 2024 marks the start of World Breastfeeding Week. Here’s how to celebrate breastfeeding in Singapore with other mamas and families!

World Breastfeeding Week 2024 runs from 1 – 7 August 2024! This annual celebration and awareness campaign highlights the benefits of breastfeeding in 170 countries across the globe – including Singapore. The theme for World Breastfeeding Week 2024 set by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action is Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All. The theme is all about addressing inequalities in breastfeeding support for mothers around the world and increasing breastfeeding support during the critical first week of a mother’s breastfeeding experience.

As ever, we feel it’s important to highlight all the ways you can celebrate breastfeeding (and seek out support on your own journey) here on our Little Red Dot. Breastfeeding can be absolutely wonderful and rewarding, but it can also be challenging, isolating and demoralising; this annual celebration is a fab way for mamas to enhance their support system and know that they are part of an important worldwide movement. Stay tuned, as we share other breastfeeding stories from mamas in Singapore throughout the week, including the all-important question: How do you know when it’s the right time to STOP breastfeeding?

Read More: All About Breastfeeding in Singapore – Expert Tips, Best Gear & Accessories

Breastfeeding Events in Singapore:

Breastfeeding Mothers Support Group

This year, Breastfeeding Mothers Support Group has collaborated with BMSG Trained Breastfeeding Counsellors to share three insightful talks: 5 Steps to Meeting Your Breastfeeding Goals, Breastfeeding After Returning to Work, and Harmonising Breastfeeding & Sleep. There will also be a paediatric first aid sharing session, where you can brush up on your knowledge and skills on infant CPR and choking. Plus, don’t miss plenty of shopping opportunities, a fabulous lucky draw, and free breastfeeding counselling onsite to get any of your burning questions answered. You’ll also get to take home a free goodie bag with everything a nursing mama needs. Don’t miss the awards ceremony for nominated candidates for these categories: Counsellor of the Year, Most Supportive Grandparent, Most Supportive Employer, Manager or Colleague, and Most Supportive Friend or Family Member. Each will receive an award plaque, an award certificate & frame and cash vouchers.

When: 24 August 2024, 11am – 4pm
Where: Woods Square Tower 1, Level 11, 6 Woodlands Square, Singapore 737737
How much: $6 per mum. Dads, grandparents and helpers can attend for free. Register now!

ABAS Association for Breastfeeding Advocacy

In partnership with KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital, ABAS Association for Breastfeeding Advocacy invites you and your family to learn more about breastfeeding and the developing brain and gut of your infant. Plus, discover the important role of fathers in the breastfeeding journey. Join a group discussions on how to balance work and breastfeeding, how to regain strength and stamina with postnatal exercises, and how to place your baby in a car seat safely. There will also be GoMama lactation pods onsite if you need to nurse or pump. Enjoy refreshments and a shopping bazaar, and take home a free goody bag from participating sponsors.

When: 24 August 2024, 2pm – 5pm
Where: KKH Women’s and Children’s Hospital Women’s Tower – Level 1 – Training Centre
How much: Free with limited seats. Secure your spot here.

Stay tuned for more events for Breastfeeding Week 2024.

In case you missed it:
WATCH Breastfeeding 101: Sassy Mama Expert Chat X Osler Health International

Learn everything you wanted to know about breastfeeding (but were afraid to ask!) Whether you’re expecting and thinking about breastfeeding or currently breastfeeding, this Sassy Mama Expert Chat with Dr. Trisha Upadhyaya from Osler Health International, covers valuable pointers such as nutritional benefits and current breastfeeding recommendations, how to get that perfect latch, troubleshooting common breastfeeding woes like low and oversupply, cracked nipples and pain, tongue and lip tie, blocked ducts, engorgement, mastitis and more. 

Breastfeeding in the News

In 2022, the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) updated breastfeeding guidelines. Now, it supports “continued breastfeeding until two years or beyond, as mutually desired by mother and child”. The update is in line with WHO guidelines, too, as WHO has recommended breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond for several years now. Just remember that nursing your babies gives them the absolute best immunity protection possible.

Best Nursing Rooms to Breastfeed in Singapore

First off, if you’re nervous about breastfeeding out of the house, mama, be sure to check out our 6 P’s to Ensure Success Breastfeeding in Public. It’ll ease your mind to have a plan beforehand, and we promise: it gets a little bit easier every time!

In our experience, the ability to nurse in peace goes a long way toward establishing a successful breastfeeding relationship. We also know that hunger can strike babies anytime, anywhere, so it’s key to know where you can find a cool, quiet place on the go. We scoured the island for The Best Nursing Rooms in Singapore and put together a photo slideshow of our top 10 pics, and also listed out all the other rooms on the island that we could find info for. Be sure to check it out, mamas, and let us know if there’s something we missed!

Lactation Consultants in Singapore

Breastfeeding might be the most natural thing in the world, but it often doesn’t feel that way when you’re doing it for the first time! So many mamas all over Singapore have raved about the difference a lactation consultant can make, whether it’s helping your baby get a good latch, identifying issues like tongue ties, or giving you pumping strategies to stimulate milk flow. Check out our directory for a list of lactation consultants in Singapore, or look to other resources like Stork’s Nest Singapore, the Breastfeeding Mothers Support Group or La Leche League Singapore.

Speaking of Stork’s Nest, if you’re pregnant or just starting on your breastfeeding journey, you will DEFINITELY want to check out these 15 Things to Know About Breastfeeding (Before You Breastfeed), courtesy of Stork’s Nest’s amazing founder, Jani Combrink!

You Got This, Mama!

However your breastfeeding journey goes, mama, we hope that it’s a smooth and positive experience for you and your bub. If you’re nervous about continuing it when you return to work, be sure to check out our Expert Tips on Breastfeeding When You Return to Work, which will give you the best chance for continued success. You can also read other mamas’ stories, from a recent recollection about the ups and downs of breastfeeding twins to another mama’s humorous struggles with insane nipple pain.

Read more: