THE Davao City Recreation Center was jampacked with breastfeeding moms as we celebrated National Breastfeeding Awareness Month last August with Hakab Na! Davao 2019. This is an annual breastfeeding event that gathers lactating moms who will latch their babies at the same time for at least a minute.
This is the biggest Hakab Na! event in Davao City since 2015, the year it started. The event, which was held last August 18, was organized by four breastfeeding mothers who wanted to promote breastfeeding awareness among mothers in the metropolis.
It was my second time joining the event but I would still get emotional during the simultaneous latch because I know we are tracking the right path of our breastfeeding journey. I know other mothers also feel the same.
Aside from the inspiring and informative talks from reliable speakers, the event was filled with laughter and prizes. But most of all, I heard a lot of inspiring stories from different mommies.
Mommy Quennie Acol is a kidney dialysis patient but she continues to breastfeed her child who was a preemie at birth. When asked why, she said “Ginabuhat nako ni kay basig dili nami mag-uban sa akong anak puhon kung wala na ko (I am doing this because I might not be able to be do this again when I’m gone).
Mommy Beverly Damo is among the five mommies who advocate for tandem feeding, breastfeeding two children at the same time on each boob. Yes, it is possible. Know more about her story in my Youtube vlog.
Breastfeeding is not an overnight task. It is a journey with a buddy. Both the mother and the baby can benefit from it. Remember that everybody has a role in it because “it always takes a village to raise a child,” as an old and famous African proverb says.
[The writer appreciates story suggestions. Follow her on Instagram at @mommyaracasastumuran. Subscribe to her Youtube channel www.youtube.com/c/AraCasasTumuran.]