Essential for child development, breast milk is considered the "golden food" by the World Health Organization (WHO), giving rise to Golden August, the month to encourage breastfeeding. Thus, to reinforce support for the campaign, Flamengo's Social Responsibility department took, last Tuesday (27), water polo athlete Duda Martins, who is 26 weeks pregnant, and the club's mascots to visit the Maria Amélia Buarque de Holanda Municipal Maternity Hospital, a reference in humanized care for pregnant women, in downtown Rio.

As part of the activities program, the athlete received guidance on the breastfeeding process and the importance of breast milk in child development and in building bonds together with other pregnant and postpartum women cared for by the maternity ward.

"Flamengo's presence here today is extremely important because all the activities focused on Golden August aim to support, promote, and increasingly encourage breastfeeding. Encouraging breastfeeding on demand and increasing breastfeeding duration allows society to understand the real benefits that human milk has for both babies and mothers," said Carla Navarrete, coordinator of the Nutrition and Dietetics Service at the Maternity Hospital and president of the Unit's Breastfeeding Committee.

"Visiting the Maria Amélia Maternity Hospital was an incredible experience. I saw how intense motherhood truly is. I had questions answered, learned more, and prepared myself a little more. I interacted with other expectant mothers. Each of us had different concerns and fears, which were fully addressed by the staff. It was a pleasure to be part of Flamengo's social responsibility initiative," said athlete Duda Martins.

Production assistant Josiane Portugal, who is also pregnant and receiving prenatal care at the maternity hospital, added, "Today I learned that breast milk alone is enough and no other milk is needed for a child to grow healthily. I loved Flamengo's presence here today. I'm a Flamengo fan, my family is Flamengo fans, and I was very happy to learn that Flamengo supports breastfeeding," she praised.

As part of the proposal to humanize motherhood, the athlete received a beautiful pregnancy painting, which allowed her to understand how her baby is positioned inside her belly.