Page 4285 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 23 October 2019
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Adjournment
Motion (by Mr Gentleman) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Australian Breastfeeding Association—50th anniversary
MS LEE (Kurrajong) (6.31): New mother Mary Paton knew breastfeeding was good for her baby but had nowhere to go for help when she struggled. It was not long before she realised that she was not alone. Mary and five friends met in Mary’s home in Balwyn North, Victoria, with the aim of supporting each other to breastfeed. Fears were aired, tips were shared, encouragement was given and the Nursing Mothers Association of Australia was born. It was 13 February 1964. Five years later the first meeting in Canberra was held.
Breastfeeding was not really talked about and rarely seen. It was a time when bottle feeding was promoted as the modern, scientific choice, giving women greater freedom and flexibility. It was a time when this group was not allowed to call themselves the Australian Breastfeeding Association because it had word “breast” in it.
Today the Australian Breastfeeding Association, as it was renamed in 2001, has over 230 branches, supports over 80,000 mothers a year, has 1,100 trained volunteer counsellors and runs a 24-hour helpline. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes halfway through my pregnancy and was advised to express colostrum from 36 weeks to make sure my baby had this liquid gold in the first hour of her life.
Having my waters break and going into labour at 35 weeks and six days, of course, was not part of the plan—no colostrum, held up in recovery after a semi-emergency C-section, with my daughter’s blood sugars low, Mia was bottle fed by her father in the first hour of her life. Naively, I imagined that breastfeeding would just happen. Day one, day two, day three—no milk and a premature baby unable to latch. It was, as one friend described to me, the most unnatural natural thing in the world.
Fast-forward four months and I have tried it all: balm for the cracked and torn nipples, massage and heat packs for the blocked ducts, antifungal cream for the nipple thrush, Panadol for the pain, ultrasound therapy and antibiotics for mastitis. There was also medication, lactation cookies, tea and traditional Korean remedies of soup made of seaweed and chicken feet to boost milk supply. Today Mia is thriving as a mixed-fed baby because fed is best.
I am lucky to have the support of family, friends and a medical team to encourage breastfeeding whilst not being made to feel guilty for not being able to nourish my daughter on breastmilk alone. I am lucky that I am able to afford to buy formula so that my daughter will not go hungry. I am lucky that I have never been made to feel ashamed or embarrassed to breastfeed where and when my daughter needs it. Not every mother is that lucky.
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