To mark World Breastfeeding Week the Australian Government is celebrating the success of national campaigns and initiatives to support breastfeeding and give babies the best start in life. Running from 1 to 7 August, the theme for 2024 is 'Breastfeeding support for all'.
Assistant Minister Ged Kearney kicked off World Breastfeeding Week with a visit to Royal Hobart Hospital, one of 59 Baby Friendly Health Initiative accredited maternity facilities in Australia.
The benefits of breastfeeding are well documented as one of the best ways a family can support a long, healthy life and reduce the risk of chronic disease for their kids.
The government funds the Australian Breastfeeding Association to deliver the National Breastfeeding Helpline and LiveChat service. This gives families 24-hour access to education and advice delivered by accredited and trained breastfeeding counsellors. Over the past year, more than 45,000 families have received support, reassurance, and up-to-date breastfeeding information from these services.
Almost a quarter of families who used the services said they may have stopped breastfeeding if the support wasn’t available during their time of need. A huge majority (98.5%) said they would recommend the services to other families.
The government is also celebrating the success of its investment in an innovative breastmilk donation program. Not every mum can produce enough milk to feed their baby straight away. Donated breastmilk can provide a bridge of support while the mother’s own supply is established. Without access to breastmilk, preterm babies can spend longer in hospital and are also at greater risk of infection, sepsis, long-term health implications and necrotising enterocolitis – a life-threatening gut disease with a high mortality rate.
In July 2023 the government provided $6 million over two years to expand the network of Australian Red Cross’ Lifeblood’s breastmilk bank. This investment has allowed Lifeblood to significantly expand its network of donor human milk banks and its capacity to provide milk for newborn babies.
In the past year over 4,000 litres of donated breastmilk was supplied to hospitals. This has allowed hospitals to meet the rise in demand by over 10 percent in the last two years. The government’s investment has also allowed the service to expand to more hospitals, now suppling donated breastmilk to 80 per cent of Neonatal Intensive Care Units across Australia.
The funding has also enabled Lifeblood to expand its research program. Early research results using data from the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network has found reliable access to donated breastmilk reduces the risk of necrotising enterocolitis by one-third for babies born extremely preterm.
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney MP:
“Breast is best; but it’s not always easy. As a young mother more than 35 years ago I struggled to keep breastfeeding my twin baby girls while working full-time. It was only with the help of a village that I was able to continue.
“Many people don’t have a village or close connections to guide them through the early weeks and months of caring for an infant.
“Whether it’s the National Breastfeeding Helpline, expanding breastmilk donation services or our investment in research, as mum and grandma I’m proud to be championing Labor’s support of new mums.
“I encourage any mums and families with breastfeeding questions or problems to call 1800 mum 2 mum (1800 686 268) and speak to a counsellor who has breastfed and is passionate about supporting you. It’s free and available 24/7.
“Preterm births are especially common among migrant and refugee women as well as First Nations women, so expanding the Lifeblood network is also helping to Close the Gap”.
