1st August marked the start of World Breastfeeding Week. The global 2024 theme as set by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action is “Closing the Gap”, with a focus on the critical first week: “Lack of breastfeeding support during the critical first week negatively affects the overall breastfeeding intentions and prevalence”.
Every year, Lactamo conducts an annual survey, aligned to the official WBW theme. The survey is a valuable pulse point, where you, the parents, share your first-hand experiences.
This year we’re excited and encouraged by the global theme: the critical first week postpartum is where most mothers experience problems and is ‘make or break’ for breastfeeding: what a mother establishes in the first week sets her up for her entire breastfeeding journey. This is clearly the time to focus on support for women and is where we at Lactamo focus our support piece.
Expectations vs reality
Before breastfeeding, only 13% of respondents thought that breastfeeding would be hard. Sadly, 95% of women then reported breastfeeding challenges. The fact that women don’t expect to need support, coupled with the fact that we know that support is inadequate, is setting women up for failure from day one.
The first week postpartum is a crucial time for establishing successful breastfeeding and ensuring long-term success. Hospitals are best positioned in their maternity wards to empower, support and upskill women after birth in establishing breastfeeding. Research shows that the support that a mother receives during this period is pivotal. Breastfeeding support and education in the early days can help to prevent common issues including engorgement, blocked ducts, and low milk supply. But many mothers lack access to timely, knowledgeable support, causing distress, feelings of failure and ultimately an earlier end to their breastfeeding journey than they had anticipated.
We at Lactamo think that more focus needs to be placed on empowering mothers with support and solutions in the critical first week postpartum.
A closer look into the results
Our survey reveals the challenges faced by new mothers in accessing support in the early postpartum period:
- 76% reported facing barriers to accessing breastfeeding support
- 91% said that subsidised lactation consultants would be valuable
- 69% of women thought more support in the ‘critical first week’ would have improved their breastfeeding experience
The survey results underscore the significant gap in breastfeeding support, particularly in the critical first week. While over 99% of respondents acknowledged the importance of support during this period, almost half felt they didn’t receive enough.
The detail
We appreciate the detailed feedback that we received in response to our survey, but we were disappointed with the theme of deep negative emotions. The responses showed that urgent support and solutions are needed in the critical first week, with the current system failing our mothers when they are at one of their most vulnerable touchpoints in motherhood:
“I was exhausted and ended up giving my baby formula sooner than I wanted just to catch a ‘break’, but then he no longer wanted to be breastfed”
“More support in hospital and education from midwives would've saved my breastfeeding journey, and also my bonding with my baby. I have so many regrets”
“With my second baby I got great support in the first few weeks which gave me a positive breastfeeding journey this time. It has made me realise how much better my experience with my first baby could have been, if I had simply had the right support at the beginning”
Looking ahead: advocating for change
The start of motherhood is one of the most vulnerable times of our lives. How can we improve this, and support mums? We're committed to empowering mothers with knowledge, support, and innovative solutions to make their breastfeeding journey as smooth as possible from day 1.
The results of our survey highlight the urgent need for support for mothers in the critical first week postpartum. Breastfeeding is not just a personal choice but a societal responsibility to offer support. By closing the gap in breastfeeding support, we can create a more equitable and healthier future for all.
Join us in this mission. Together, we can make a difference.
