Manitoba

Dozens latch on at Winnipeg breastfeeding challenge

Dozens of babies latched on at the Legislative Building for the 2014 Breastfeeding Challenge.

Challenge at Manitoba Legislature aims to raise awareness as part of World Breastfeeding Week

Annick Rauch, the mother of five-month-old twins, participated in the Winnipeg Breastfeeding Challenge at the Legislative Building to help normalize breastfeeding in public. (Lindsay Tsuji/CBC)
Dozens of babies latched on at the Legislative Building for the 2014 Breastfeeding Challenge.
The Manitoba event was put on as part of World Breastfeeding Week. (Lindsay Tsuji/CBC)

Around 40 moms and their babies took part in the challenge as part of World Breastfeeding Week.

Jenn Schroeder brought her six-month-old son Levi.

“When your baby is hungry, you feed them, so if you're more conformable covering up or using formula then that's awesome," said Schroeder. "But also nobody should tell a breastfeeding mother to 'cover up.'”

The event is going on across Canada and around the world. It's a competition to see who can have the highest number of babies breastfeeding in one location.

Twenty-eight-year-old Annick Rauch had her five-month-old twins at the Manitoba Legislature Saturday.

The mother of four said she wasn't able to breastfeed her eldest child.

She said she's hoping that by taking part in the event participants can help normalize breastfeeding so that moms can feel comfortable and confident when they're doing it out in public.

"Breastfeeding is something people aren't always comfortable doing in public and if we cause more awareness then anything helps and it's good for everybody," said Rauch.