Breastfeeding Week was celebrated in New Zealand earlier this month, but WellSouth health promotion specialist Jo O’Connor is adamant that every week is breastfeeding week. 

Jo oversees the programmes providing breastfeeding support for new parents in Central Otago, and enabling them to breastfeed if possible.

“We know that all women are vulnerable with new babies,” she said. “It takes a village of support around a woman to make it work,”

WellSouth works with community organisations such as Mums 4 Mums to give access to specialist support such as lactation consultants, and training peer supporters.

Participants at Breastfeeding Week event in Wānaka last month. 

One of the women who needed that support, Lauren Hunt, is now training as a peer supporter in the hope others will find the process easier than she did.

Lauren’s son and first child, Nico, is now 13 months old and the 32-year-old mother said prior to his birth, she had not been sure whether she would breastfeed.

“I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of it,” she said. “I’m a shy person and I didn’t like the idea of exposing myself.”

She did choose to breastfeed, but had difficulty doing so.

“For me, it was quite painful and I should have reached out and got help. I tried to stick with it because it was a really nice bonding time.”

She said she asked at the hospital about how painful she was finding the process, and was told that was normal.

She now knows that is not the case, and validating other women’s feelings and difficulties is one of the reasons she chose to train as a peer supporter. She said she would be more proactive about difficulties if she has a second child.

“I think I would be a lot more relaxed and if I did struggle like I did with Nico, I would reach out and ask for help.”

Jo said the Upper Clutha community was fortunate to have “a large team of enthusiastic peer supporters available”.

“Wānaka Well is the only community driven collaborative drop-in group of its kind in the southern district. It’s a shining example of ‘it takes a village’.”

PHOTOS: Wānaka App