Breast is best for bub




			29 July 2008 Breast is best for bub Sutherland Hospital staff are on the front foot when it comes to supporting breastfeeding mothers. During World Breastfeeding Week (1 – 8 August), the Maternity Unit is launching a Breastfeeding Support Service for women who are experiencing breastfeeding difficulties. Parent Educators Kirstin Lock and Rachel O’Keeffe said that the new service will be offered free of charge to women following discharge from Hospital. Ms Lock said that the aim of the service is to give extra support to women experiencing breastfeeding challenges such as attachment difficulties, damaged and painful nipples, mastitis, nipple shield usage, and low milk supply. "The clinic is staffed by midwives with qualifications in lactation and referrals can be made from a midwife, GP, health professional, or the woman herself," she said. Advantages to a breastfed infant include the unique nature of human milk that is perfect – nutritionally, immunologically and developmentally. To the mother, it provides the obvious benefits of convenience and closeness, and decreases a woman’s fertility and risk of ovarian and breast cancer, and osteoporosis. Sutherland Hospital promotes, supports and encourages breastfeeding of all newborn babies. Nursing Co-director, Women’s and Children’s Health Deb Matha said that at birth all women are encouraged to have ‘skin to skin’ contact with their newborn within the first half hour following birth. "This has been shown to promote and facilitate successful breastfeeding," Ms Matha said. "For those mothers who have had a planned caesarean birth, a midwife will visit the recovery room to assist the mother to attach her newborn baby within the first half hour of its life," she said. Ms Matha said that as part of their routine care, all pregnant women receive an educational program, developed by the antenatal clinic at Sutherland Hospital. Parenting classes are also offered at the clinic and include in-depth information and videos on the ‘how to of breastfeeding’. "To provide follow-up breastfeeding support following discharge, all women are made aware of the Early Childhood Centres in their area. "In addition, a Midwifery Support Program – offering home support visits – is available to any mother who is experiencing breastfeeding difficulties until a visit to the Breastfeeding Support Service, or to an Early Childhood Centre can be arranged," Ms Matha said. The statistics show that a greater number of women are breastfeeding their babies, and hospitals across South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Health are continually finding better ways to support women to breastfeed. An appointment for the Breastfeeding Support Service can be made by calling 9540 7937. Media contact: South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Health Media and Communications Officer Maxine Brennan, 9350 2601, 0413 028 776