By Terri Lynn, SouthFloridaReporter.com, Managing Editor, July 24, 2015 – Attention breastfeeding moms! You can be a part of history!

The month of August is National Breastfeeding Month and August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week. The mission is to celebrate and support all breastfeeding families.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mothers who breastfeed their children are at a healthier weight than average, and have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Children who are breastfed have a lower risk of developing respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, asthma, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and sudden infant death syndrome.

The Florida Department of Health in Broward County Broward is proud to support “The Big Latch On,” a community-building event held every August to celebrate World Breastfeeding week. It involves groups of women coming together at locations around the world to “latch on” (breastfeed) their child or children at a set time. All of the children are latched on for one minute at the set time and are counted by witnesses. Numbers are added to a global total to beat 2014’s “The Big Latch On” total of 13,798 breastfeeding children.

In South Florida the event is scheduled for Saturday, August 1, 2015 at the Broward County Convention Center, 1950 Eisenhower Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, starting at 9:00 a.m. “The Big Latch On” starts at 10:30 a.m. The Urban League of Broward County in partnership with the Broward County Breastfeeding Coalition are the hosts. For more details and to RSVP please call 954-625-2553 or by email

For more information on The Florida Department of Health in Broward County breastfeeding support services, call (954) 467-4705 or visit the website

Attention Target Shoppers!

The breastfeeding community is singing retail giant Target’s praises for their new and compassionate storewide breastfeeding policy. Target leaves no question in anyone’s mind how the store wants breastfeeding women to be treated.

Highlights of the new policy include:

Guests may openly breastfeed in our stores or ask where they can go to breastfeed their child. When this happens, remember these points:

Target’s policy supports breastfeeding in any area of our stores, including our fitting rooms, even if others are waiting

If you see a guest breastfeeding in our stores, do not approach her

If she approaches and asks you for a location to breastfeed, offer the fitting room (do not offer the restroom as an option)

Read more about the new Target policy for breastfeeding moms here