The Quintessence Breastfeeding Challenge in Langley will be held at the Willoughby Early Years Centre at Willoughby Elementary School at 20766 80 Ave. on Saturday, Oct. 1. at 11 a.m.
The doors of the Early Years Centre will open at 9:30 a.m. and drop-ins are welcome.
Every year, on the first Saturday in October, mothers and children at sites across Canada and around the world compete to set the record for the most children breastfeeding at one time.
The event is sponsored by the non-profit Quintessence Foundation to promote the health benefits of breastfeeding children and to recognize breast milk donors.
It started in B.C. in 2001 with 856 children at 21 sites.
By last year, there were 4,016 children in seven countries and 161 sites.
In Langley, the number of participating babies has ranged from a high of 25 to a low of two.
This year, Langley donors have contributed 140,000 millilitres of breast milk, which is then pasteurized and frozen for use by babies whose mothers are unable to breastfeed.
A press release from the Quintessence Foundation says in Canada, 89 per cent of mothers start breastfeeding but by six months the number has fallen to 26 per cent — the result of “lack of acceptance and community support.”
For more, visit the Quintessence Foundation website at: babyfriendly.ca/challenge-home.aspx