Thank you for the recent announcements to increase paid parental leave from 18 weeks to 26 weeks. This is a huge step in supporting women and families and future generations of Australia’s children by getting them off to the best start in life. Whilst 26 weeks is a huge step in the right direction, we do, however, have many concerns around the “use it or lose it” policy discussion that is around at this time. Whilst we understand the government’s desire to achieve economic equality for women, discussions we have had with families overwhelmingly show a desire to be paid for the time taken out of the workforce, not simply to get back to work and have the father or partner replace them at home. When we look at parental leave from health and developmental outcomes for women and children, the 26 weeks has been proven to be what is the minimal optimum outcome.

While I don’t generally love telling parents what they can and can’t do or eat etc during lactation, there are a couple of things to be aware of that can have an impact on milk supply. This list isn’t exhaustive and you should always check with your primary caregiver or lactation specialist.

Peppermint - Excessive amounts of peppermint could lower milk supply in some mothers.

Sage Tea - Due to the drying properties of sage and infant gut hypersensitivity, it is recommended to avoid sage either as tea or in foods.

Pseudoephedrine, otherwise known as Sudafed, is used as a decongestant, meaning it is used to dry up mucus. In women with marginal or low supply, this can cause further milk loss and it is generally recommended to avoid it while breastfeeding for most breastfeeding parents.

One of her closing statements is that the benefits of funding a scheme for more than 18 weeks would not be worth the additional costs of forgone spending on other areas such as health and child care. Breastfeeding is Preventive Medicine. It is proven to reduce the risk of Ovarian Cancer, Breast Cancer, Osteoporosis, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Stroke, Hyperlipidemia and Cardiovascular disease in Mothers. In Infants, it provides protection for the intestinal lining, protects against common colds, fever and serious illness. It protects against respiratory infections, ear infections, diarrhoea, UTI’s, sepsis, rotavirus and meningitis. It lowers the risk of breast cancer, chronic and autoimmune diseases, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease and asthma. And that is only the beginning!

So if breastfeeding provides all of that amazing goodness, how is it not worth the investment.

The good news is there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be passed on to your baby in breast milk, and the benefits of breastfeeding and the protection it offers outweigh any possible risks. There are no reports showing the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) is present in breastmilk.

There have also been recent studies into antibodies in breastmilk and their protection factors for newborns. Breastfeeding women who have been infected with Covid-19 continue to secrete virus-neutralising antibodies into their milk for up to 10 months.

Cluster Feeding is a baby putting in their order. To tell your body to make milk. They bring a bunch of feeds together non-stop and basically feed around the clock. On day one of life, they are a little sleepy. Hopefully they do a lovely breast crawl and latch all on their own. They might have a couple of feeds but generally they snooze. You are wide awake mind you, hormones, oxytocin (hello you just had a baby, you rock star you!) So you’re awake and baby is a snoozer.

Did you know they are generally supposed to be a temporary measure and a short term tool to help you. 

Nipple shields are great for a variety of reasons and here are a couple. 

1 - Nipple Damage - Nipple damage is usually because of a bad latch in the early days while everyone is still learning and working it all out. But the baby could also have a tongue tie. If we have damage, the first thing we want to do is really check that the latch is the deep enough. Roll the baby back and if they fall off easily they usually aren’t on deep enough. 

If the baby has a tie this needs to be assessed and either cut or given exercises to help if it is minor. 

Soups in Winter, especially for Post-Natal care are nourishing, healthy and yummy!

Here is my favourite - Chicken Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Soup)

It’s super easy to make too!

How can Dads and Partners Support Breastfeeding and Newborn Ideas?

- Attend a breastfeeding class with Mum. Chances are, her brain could go to mush after the baby is born. A second set of ears, taking in all the information, reminding Mum that night 2 in normal, suggesting positions learnt in class in invaluable.

- Being aware that breastfeeding is an all encompassing process that takes hours out of the day, every day. It is the equivalent of a full time job. That being trapped under a baby is a beautiful but exhausting job.

- BURP THE BABY! Babies are milk drunk after a feed, they don’t necessarily need to be burped but by burping them, Dads bounce around and have the baby up on their shoulders, are naturally hot bodied and babies love to fall asleep up there. Therefore baby learns that Dads shoulder is a great place to fall asleep and they then become masters at settling the baby!

Given everything that is happening in the world at the moment, there is a lot of interest from pregnant women in making the switch to home birth.