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City of Greater Shepparton
URL: http://www.greatershepparton.com.au/news/breastfeedingcafe.html
Please note: this is an archived news article release.
This article was published on 30 August 2012. The information contained within may be out of date or inaccurate. News articles and media releases older than 60 days are archived for future reference.
Breastfeeding Café helps give babies the Best Start
News article released on Thursday 30 August 2012
A new Breastfeeding Café is to provide new mothers in Greater Shepparton with coffee, company and competent advice.
The café, run as part of Greater Shepparton City Council's Best Start Early Years Plan, is intended to raise breastfeeding rates across the municipality.
The café will be open every Thursday morning, and will be hosted by a Maternal and Child Health Nurse. Mothers will be able to drop in for free coffee and tea, without an appointment. They will be able to feed their babies in a relaxed environment and get advice about some of the challenges breastfeeding can bring.
The Breastfeeding Café, part of the Riverside Plaza Community Centre, is also close to the Plaza shops, making it a convenient place for mothers to visit.
"Our Best Start Early Years Plan is about giving our kids the best start in life," said Councillor Jenny Houlihan, who is Chair of the Greater Shepparton Best Start Early Years Partnership. "Research shows that breastfeeding can play a part in that, providing potential health benefits to the baby and the mother."
"Breastfeeding can have its challenges, though," Cr Houlihan said. "In those early days when you are sleep deprived and the baby is crying and won't feed properly, not having the right support can threaten the breastfeeding relationship.
"Whether it's your first baby or your fourth, every child is different, and it can be hard to find advice that you can trust, and that you can access in an easy way."
Cr Houlihan says she hopes that the convenience of the Breastfeeding Café will give more mothers the opportunity to seek advice about the issues that they are having, and to share their experiences with one another in a social atmosphere.
The Breastfeeding Café is funded by the Enhanced Best Start initiative, a program of the Victorian State government. Greater Shepparton was nominated in 2011 as one of two Victorian municipalities for the three-year funding, which focuses specifically on breastfeeding rates and improving access and participation for vulnerable children in Maternal & Child Health Services and Kindergarten.
For more information on the Breastfeeding Café, contact Council's Maternal and Child Health service on (03) 5832 9312.
- released 30 August 2012