#26 Breastfeeding Support

In this podcast, we hear from breastfeeding experts as they explain why breast feeding is important for mother and baby and outline the range of supports in every community throughout the country. This year’s theme for Breastfeeding week is ‘Making our communities and workplaces more breastfeeding friendly’. It aims to highlight local supports for parents and the recent expansion in law of breastfeeding breaks during work hours up to a child’s second birthday. Parents can get tips and advice on continuing to breastfeeding when returning to work and can also talk to a breastfeeding expert on www.mychild.ie .

 

Our podcast host Noreen Turley speaks to Helen Long, a breastfeeding mother with a complex story, who sought help and information as she began her breastfeeding journey, she said she “feels empowered and has realised that for her breastfeeding is her parenting superpower.” Helen would like to see breastfeeding normalised in Irish society and hopes by telling her story she will encourage more mothers to breastfeed their babies.

 

Alison Reynolds, Public Health Nurse and Lactation Consultant, acknowledges that breastfeeding can be difficult and explains to mothers how and where they can get practical advice and support to help them breastfeed. She tells us that your GP, GP practice nurse, midwife or public health nurse (PHN) will be happy to discuss feeding your baby and many people find it helpful to learn about breastfeeding while pregnant. Alison says that “Breastfeeding looks different to every mother and by working together with a Lactation Consultant, mothers can get the support that will work for them and enable them to breastfeed their baby for as long as they wish.”

 

Laura McHugh, HSE National Breastfeeding Coordinator, said that “We know from our data that more mothers are breastfeeding every year and that we are listening to our mothers’ needs, responding to them and are putting supports in place in every community in the country to help mothers breastfeed.” Laura also tells us that we now have over 180 breastfeeding groups, breastfeeding live chat and many more tips and support for parents available on the HSE’s www.mychild.ie website.

 

Produced by GKMedia.ie