Dozens of Long Island mothers gathered at the South Shore Friday for a lactation event meant to bring awareness to public breastfeeding.

Nursing mothers gathered at Jones Beach to be part of the Global Big Latch On worldwide event.

Participant Cornelia Belgrave, of Baldwin, nursed both her boys, sometimes in public.

“A lot of the times, you have people that give you dirty looks or look at you like you don't belong when you use your body for what God intended it for,” said Belgrave. “It’s just really nice to be around like-minded individuals where you're not singled out and looked at in any kind of weird way.” 

Organizer Cristy Toscano says the event was held to normalize breastfeeding in public, not just in the United States, but around the world.

“There is a stigma out there about breastfeeding in public. I think if baby is hungry, you should feed them wherever you are. If anybody ever did come up to me, I'd take it as an educational opportunity to share the benefits of it.”