Waikamania Thompson- Dinsdale with baby Maru-Moeahu and Taylor Thomson with baby Poppy. Photo / John Borren
It didn't matter if you walked, crawled or shuffled.
Everyone from adults to newborns had the opportunity to enjoy morning tea at the Pāpāmoa Plaza today.
At exactly 10.30am about 65 mums simultaneously breastfed their babies in celebration of International World Breastfeeding Week.
The worldwide annual event, The Big Latch On, has run in the Bay of Plenty for more than 10 years.
Te Puke mum Waikamania Thompson-Dinsdale has been breastfeeding for the past five years after having three boys.
She said she was excited to take part in her first Big Latch On event with her 10-month-old son, Maru-Moeahuto.
The owner of Hāpai Mama, an antenatal programme, said breastfeeding in public was something some mums did not have the confidence to do so it was important to help make those mums feel more comfortable.
"For me, breastfeeding is a very natural thing, but I know it's not for everyone," she said.
Thompson-Dinsdale said she was very comfortable feeding her son in public, but she knew of people who had received negative comments.
"If he's hungry, I'm going to feed him," she said.
Te Puke Plunket nurse and mum Taylor Thomson said the event was about raising awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, but it also gave mums the opportunity to connect with each other.
"Being a first-time mum can be lonely for some mums so this creates a support network," she said.
Plunket's community lactation services co-ordinator, Karen Palmer, said the event was to celebrate breastfeeding in all its forms plus break down the barriers of breastfeeding in public.
She said breastfeeding helped lessen the effects of poverty all over the world and ensured food security for infants in times of crisis and helped prevent malnutrition.
Palmer said it was great to see how supportive the retailers at Pāpāmoa Plaza were.
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