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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

How come Australia is so cool about breastfeeding?

36 replies

vigglewiggle · 22/08/2011 11:43

Just been spending a few weeks here and it has become blindingly obvious how cool they are about BFing. Women feed in public without any requirement for modesty-wear. Random men will come and chat to them while they do it. It is nonchalantly referenced in television programmes...

How has it become so?

OP posts:

LadyPeterWimsey · 23/08/2011 06:28

Had my first in Australia and really struggled to bf. What helped enormously was spending a week in hospital - most of it in my own room (free) - after the birth, enormously supporive midwives, a bf consultant who spent an hour with me every day in hospital (free) and a generally supportive atmosphere culturally.

I think that because more people bf, health care professionals see more of the trickier problems and know how to deal with them, thus helping more people to bf - whatever the positive equivalent of a vicious circle is!

ninedragons · 23/08/2011 06:58

That's a virtuous circle, LadyPeter (great name, btw. I love Dorothy L S).

I wonder, though, if there isn't a huge rural/urban divide. We went to Dubbo a couple of months ago and my eyes were out on stalks at people giving their year-old babies chocolate milk or Coke in bottles.

usingapseudonym · 23/08/2011 09:18

Is the week-in-hospital-in-your-own-room standard?! If so that's amazing! If not I assume its similar to what you would get if you paid to go into a private nursing facility post-birth here, where you would expect a lot of support.

I was in an nhs hospital for 48hours after a c section and had tons of support to get breastfeeding, a nice lady checked every time she latched on if I wanted to - there were also local breastfeeding groups/ peer supporters/ a good hv and mw afterwards etc. Maybe this isnt standard?

I've only once seen someone use a shawl to cover up but that was on the edge of london and I think she was quite nervous/shy by nature - otherwise a lot of friends breastfed and met in cafes etc and I've never encountered problems. I lived on the edge of london and now moved south.

Have to say - we visit Australia a lot (married an Australian) and didn't have a problem there either but based on my uk experience never expected a problem anywhere I went and just got on with it!

LadyPeterWimsey · 23/08/2011 09:43

Thanks, ninedragons. I think I can just about recite Gaudy Night from memory but never meet any other fans, except online!

I think you are absolutely right about the Bf urban/rural divide - and from what I remember there are ethnic divides in the cities as well.

I forgot to mention how great the ongoing help was as well - all the community health staff were very supportive and accessible. Even though bf was still extremely painful at 8 weeks for me, they were gently encouraging, and I fed on and on. They didn't seem hugely overworked or time-pressured which made me feel I could ask them even silly things.

LadyPeterWimsey · 23/08/2011 09:46

Sorry, using, forgot to say I don't think the own room is standard but I had a tricky CS and was struggling so much with bf they thought I could use it. I had a number of friends who scored their own room too, though.

Disclaimer: DS1 is now a strapping 13-year-old, so this is some time ago!

usingapseudonym · 23/08/2011 09:54

I would have loved my own room after my c section with my first!!!

Einsty · 23/08/2011 09:57

Aussies generally cooler about exposed flesh - see no moral dimension to it IYSWIM, which is refreshing. There also was (is?) a fabulous organisation called Nursing Mothers which did loads of work, starting with my mum's generation. I Mention them because I would like to raise a to them and their sterling work

VelmaKelly · 23/08/2011 10:04

Nursing Mothers is now the Australian Breastfeeding Association. The DO do great work - counsellors on call, information sheets, local morning teas etc. My sister trained as a counsellor with them and really enjoyed the experience.

HMTheQueen · 23/08/2011 10:16

Einsty My other was also a member of the Nursing Mothers Association (I think it's called something else now). I remember the Nursing Mothers Cookbook (in fact I think I have a copy of their play dough recipe!) and the Nursing Mothers music book with nursery rhymes and the sheet music for playing along to.

My mum breast fed all three of her children and it was just what you did then. I had DS here in the UK, so can't speak from personal experience, but I think in Oz they are much more 'Whatever' about feeding choices - there isn't such a stigma (whether that's real or perceived) as there is here.

I had no problem breast feeding here - in fact I was hoping for a snooty waiter/cafe owner to come and ask me to leave, so I could give them an earful - but they never did! I had nothing but positive experinces, but I don't know if that was luck, or whether my Australian-ness shone through!!

HMTheQueen · 23/08/2011 10:17

x posts Velma - I knew they had changed names!

VelmaKelly · 23/08/2011 10:24

They name changed because when they were first established back in the 60's? 70's?? they couldn't use the word "breast". Now they can.

So I guess us Aussies weren't always so cool..... Australia was pretty conservative in the 50's and 60's. Much more "whatever" now!

BTW - I know what you mean about wanting a snooty waiter to make a comment! Never happened to me either - and I breastfed my second in all sorts of places until she was 16 months.

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