How to Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week in Singapore

August 1 marks the start of the 25th annual world breastfeeding week. Here’s how to celebrate breastfeeding in Singapore, mama!

World Breastfeeding Week starts tomorrow, mamas, and will run through 7 August. Launched in 1992, it’s an annual celebration and awareness campaign that highlights the benefits of breastfeeding in 170 countries across the globe – including Singapore.

In celebration of its 25^th anniversary, we wanted to dedicate a post to all the ways you can celebrate breastfeeding (and seek out support on your own journey) here in the Little Red Dot. Breastfeeding can be absolutely wonderful and rewarding, but it can also be challenging, isolating and demoralizing; 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.

Events in Singapore

Breastfeeding Mothers Support Group will be holding its annual “Big Latch-On” from 9am to 11am at Hong Lim Community Centre on Saturday, 5 August. Mamas are invited to latch, pump or express milk at 10:30am in synchronicity with a worldwide movement, both as a means of celebrating their ability to comfortably breastfeed in public, and feel solidarity and comfort surrounded by other mamas.

What’s more, there will be a fun, family picnic atmosphere with kids activities like balloon sculpting, playdough, bubbles and storytelling. Doulas, babywearing experts, and BMSG’s own breastfeeding counsellors will all be staffing booths to answer mamas’ (and papas’) questions. And Halal-certified Fat Boys Burgers will be serving up plenty of yumminess to keep everyone in the fam well fed.

Sounds like a pretty perfect way to spend a Saturday morning with the fam!

Click here for all the details!

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!

You’ll also want to bookmark our Ultimate Guide to Singapore’s Best Nursing Rooms!

Our Fave Breastfeeding Products

Of course breast pumps are a massive asset for working mamas (and any mama who needs a break and wants to give her bub a bottle every now and then!). Medela, Spectra, and Phillips are the biggie brands; you’ll find a great selection of pumps and accessories at Mothercare and Pupsik Studio (which also includes lots of helpful reviews from other mamas).

Some other products we love:

The Simple Wishes Hands-Free Bra is comfortable and makes milk collection a breeze so you can get work done (or at least still have your hands free).

Find it: $43.90 on the new Amazon Prime Now App (they actually have lots of great breastfeeding accessories!)

Alternatively, we are totally intrigued by the new Freemie Collection Cups, which are compatible with all major brand pumps and way more discreet. These could actually allow you to pump at your desk or in public (no more bottles hanging off your tatas!).

Find it: $179 at Mothercare

For some reason the iconic Boppy Pillow is impossible to find in Singers, but we also love the My Breast Friend Nursing Pillow, which is wonderful when you’ve got a new babe at home and are just getting the hang of the breastfeeding thing (or simply want to give your tired arms and back a rest).

Find it: $81.40 at Motherswork

Lactation Cookies and other baked goods are actually a fabulous way to increase your milk supply via galactagogue ingredients like oats, brewers yeast and fenugreek. If you can’t be bothered to run all over town tracking down these ingredients, a few tried-and-tested local companies include Singapore Lactation Bakes and Dainty Dough (just be sure to allow a few days for delivery). Don’t for one second feel guilty indulging with this deliciousness, mama; for one thing, these ingredients are actually quite healthy! For another, breastfeeding burns calories like nobody’s business, particularly during those newborn marathon feeding sessions. You’ve earned it! And if you CAN find the time to make your own cookies, this is our favorite (relatively easy) recipe. You can find fenugreek and brewers yeast at Unity Pharmacies!

Nursing Lingerie: Let’s face it, as worthy and wonderful as breastfeeding can be, it’s hard to not feel a bit like a cow sometimes. We LOVE homegrown brand Perk by Kate for helping us bring our sexy back with their stunning range of maternity bralettes. The newest addition, “The Madalyn”, is the first to be designed in-house and features handy detachable clips and inner padded cups for extra support.

Find it: $79 at Perk by Kate

For fuller chested mamas, you can’t go wrong with beautiful Bravado Designs’ beautiful silk, seamless nursing bras.

Find it: $35-$75 at Target (ships to Singapore!)

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 top lactation consultants in Singapore, or look to other resources like Stork’s Nest Singapore or the Breastfeeding Mothers Support Group. 

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’ll 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.

Happy World Breastfeeding Week! Let’s toast with some lactation cookies!