Australian Breastfeeding Association

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The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) is Australia's leading source of breastfeeding information and support. It is a non-profit organisation founded in 1964 as the Nursing Mothers' Association to give support and information to women who wish to breastfeed their babies.

[edit] History

Mary Paton founded the Nursing Mothers' Association with five other mothers in Melbourne after having difficulty breastfeeding her first child. Doctors and nurses at the time were not trained to handle breastfeeding problems and with the modern nuclear family there were few older women to turn to for advice, so the founding members supported each other, thus creating the model for mother-to-mother support than continues today. In 1972, Australia became the first country to reverse the decline in breastfeeding and the Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia (NMAA), as it was now called, was credited for their contribution. In 1981 she received an Advance Australia Award. In 1993, Mary was Family Circle Magazine's 'Woman of the Year.' Mary Paton was awarded an Order of the General Division of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1978. In 2001, NMAA changed its name to Australian Breastfeeding Association and Mary was included in the Victorian Honour Roll of Women as part of the Centenary of Federation's Ordinary Woman: Extraordinary lives.

In March 2004 Mary became a National Living Treasure. On the 2006 Australia Day Honours list Mary Paton OAM, was awarded the higher honour of Member (AM) in the general division - 'for service to the community as the founder of the Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia, and to the development of policies, protocols, management, support and training methods to assist nursing mothers and their babies.'

[edit] Services

Today ABA has groups across Australia which hold regular discussion meetings for mothers. Breastfeeding education seminars are run for expectant parents; community education continues through all levels of education from pre-school to tertiary and members visits mothers in hospital to introduce the association and its services. Many groups hire out electric breast pumps. All meetings are run by trained volunteer breastfeeding counselors, all of whom have successfully breastfed. The Australian Breastfeeding Association also runs seven-day-a-week breastfeeding helplines for mothers to receive help and support with breastfeeding. Subscribers receive a bi-monthly magazine, Essence, and many other benefits. The association publishes a wide variety of literature on breastfeeding, all backed by a panel of distinguished advisers, and has a very comprehensive website.