Over forty mums and babies gathered in Southport for the Global Big Latch On event hosted by Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust and Breastfeeding Support Sefton.

Each year the Global Big Latch On event brings together hundreds of thousands of mums and their babies together to raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding as well as the services and support offered to help new mums across the borough.

The event, held at Lakeside Church, was part of World Breastfeeding Week which runs between 1 August and 7 August.

Councillor Ian Moncur, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, added: “This is a fantastic annual event where we celebrate breastfeeding and the amazing benefits it has for babies.

“We welcomed a lot of mums and babies from across the area to the Lakeside and it was great to see so many people showing their support for breastfeeding and the Big Latch On campaign.

“It was a great opportunity for mums to come along and be part of something big – they all got to meet with other likeminded mums, speak with health care professionals from Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust and access local breastfeeding support services.”

One mum who attended with her young boy said she was eager to tackle the stigma around breastfeeding in public.

She said: “I’m here today at the Big Latch on mainly to remove the stigma around breastfeeding.

“It really upsets me when mums struggle with the idea of going out for a first feed. “I am really lucky because I have never had a negative experience but I know people who have and I just think that it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Breast are made for feeding babies first and foremost so when people don’t agree with the feeding in public, that’s the sort of thing I want to get out of our culture because it’s natural and what we are designed to do.”

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated in 120 countries and marks the signing of the World Health Organisation and UNICEF document Innocent Declaration, which lists the benefits of breastfeeding, plus global and governmental goals.

UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund, a worldwide children’s charity that address the needs of children around the world.