In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, The Southern Tier Breastfeeding Coalition will hold its 2nd Annual Breastfeeding Awareness Walk on Friday, August 1, 2008. The walk will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Town Hall/Garage in Sunrise Terrace.

This year's theme is Mother Support: Going for the Gold! Like the athletes that will be attending the summer Olympics in China, nursing mothers throughout the world and in Broome County need support to achieve the gold standard of infant feeding: breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months, and providing appropriate complementary foods with continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond.

There are many challenges that breastfeeding mothers face. These challenges include receiving inaccurate information, being able to breastfeed at work and outside the home, as well as self-doubt.

To overcome these challenges mothers need the support of health care professionals, maternity staff, lactation consultants, child care providers, friends, families, employers, and co-workers. Providing accurate guidance, listening to a mother's concerns, and putting policies in place that support breastfeeding can help eliminate the self-doubt that a mother may feel.

It's important to remember that breastfeeding provides infants with the best possible start in life. Breast milk provides infants with just the right amounts of nutrients they need for proper growth and development.

Help Broome County mothers achieve the gold for their infants. Show your support for breastfeeding by joining the walk. Free Spiedie Fest passes will be given to moms who walk.

Walkers will start to convene for the walk at 5:45 p.m. in the parking lot of the Town Hall/Garage in Sunrise Terrace on Old Front Street, Binghamton, just past the new Express Mart. Participants are asked to please wear yellow, gold or white shirts.

For more information about the walk or breastfeeding, please call 607.778.2845 or e-mail HTrevett@stny.rr.com.