Southern DHB proudly promotes World Breastfeeding Week
Registered District Nurse Lauren Shea with her daughter, Pippa.
Southern DHB will continue to be strong advocates of breastfeeding as part of World Breastfeeding Week from 1-7 August.
The theme this year is ‘Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding; focusing on being inclusive of all types of parents in today’s world’.
“The aim of our celebration in Southland and Otago is to raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding, to support mothers to breastfeed and to normalise breastfeeding in public spaces,” says Southern DHB Health Promotion Advisor, Christine Quested.
Southern DHB supports breastfeeding through the work of lactation consultants, maternity staff and health promoters.
Dunedin Registered District Nurse Lauren Shea returned to work in April this year and says she felt well supported by her Charge Nurse and wider team to continue breastfeeding her now one year-old daughter, Pippa, at the Wakari Hospital Early Childhood Centre.
“Being able to see my girl and breastfeed during the day has helped us both with the transition, especially into childcare, with more ease. I’m so grateful.”
To support breastfeeding in the workplace, Southern DHB has recently set up a temporary breastfeeding room for staff in Dunedin Hospital while a permanent room is being built. The new room will be located in the staff café and available to all staff to use for breastfeeding and expressing milk.
As part of the World Breastfeeding Week campaign, Public Health South has created life size cardboard cut-outs of real Southland mothers breastfeeding, which will be placed in public spaces in Southland.
“We want to provide a visual cue to the public that breastfeeding is normal and welcome,” says Southern DHB Health Promotion Advisor, Kathleen Eade. “This is quite a fun and playful way of celebrating breastfeeding and making parents feel safe and supported.”
Lakes District Hospital Maternity Unit has recently been accredited by the New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority as a Baby Friendly Facility for the fourth time, showing a commitment to breastfeeding for almost a decade.
“We’re really proud of this achievement – it’s a great reflection of the maternity care provided at Lakes District Hospital. Since the beginning of the year alone approximately 116 women have discharged from Lakes Maternity exclusively breastfeeding their babies,” says Southern DHB Director of Midwifery, Jenny Humphries.
The Lakes District Hospital will celebrate its accreditation success at a ceremony to be held at St John (10 Douglas Street) in Frankton on Friday 2 August from 12pm.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Melissa Garry, Southern DHB Senior Communications Advisor, 027 226 0633
melissa.garry@southerndhb.govt.nz
Kate Roff, Southern DHB Communications Advisor, 027 533 0046
kate.roff@southerndhb.govt.nz