CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — World Breastfeeding Week kicks off next week with a series of free educational seminars designed to support new parents and advocates across the Coastal Bend.
The week-long celebration, which runs from this Friday, August 1 through Thursday, August 7, will feature various activities and speakers aimed at empowering families during what can be both a beautiful and challenging experience.
Elizabeth Santos Pagan, a lactation consultant and event organizer, started hosting the local seminars after moving to the area.
"I used to participate there in Puerto Rico in that event," Santos Pagan said. "When I moved here I was like there's no world breastfeeding week celebration in town."
The seminars cover a wide range of topics to help families navigate breastfeeding challenges.
"Challenges during breastfeeding, myths about breastfeeding, other fun things like baby massage, soap making class, a playgroup," Santos Pagan said.
For the past four years, these events have been helping mothers like Allison Logan, who attended last year's celebration while pregnant with her daughter Evelyn.
"I was pregnant with her last year when all the events were happening so that helped me prepare for having her, so it was really knowledgeable," Logan said.
The seminars aren't just for parents but also open to advocates like birth doula Melanie Sandoval.
"This is not just a passion its a legacy that I want to build because I know what it’s like to go through the trenches. I’m still going through the trenches, I’m a single mother of three," Sandoval said.
When invited to join the lineup of speakers, Sandoval didn't hesitate.
"I saw somebody powerful and I was like she's doing things down there," Sandoval said.
Santos Pagan emphasizes that while breastfeeding can create a special bond, it comes with challenges, and parents should know they have options.
"It’s not that you are a failure because you're using this milk or another, there's options," Santos Pagan said.
The first education meeting starts Friday at 10 a.m. at Kennedy Dental on Saratoga.
The educational meetings will last from 10 am to 3 pm on all days except Saturday, August 2, which will start at noon. For a full list of the upcoming activities and seminars, click here.
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