What do you think is the biggest barrier to breastfeeding In Australia?

[Linda M]

I Breastfed for 10 months and my milk supply got so low that I couldn't keep going.
I saw a few different lactation consultants and whilst they were all very lovely and full of advise they were sooooo pro breastfeeding that they didn't think about how I felt.
Until I meet Diane, she too was a pro breastfeeding advocate (and lactation consultant) but one of the first things she said to me was: don't worry darling if we can't get you feeling like your getting somewhere today we swap to the bottle and you're bub will be fine and you'll be happy and much less stressed.
This happend when my Daughter was about 10 days old. If it wasn't for her considering my feelings, I think I would have been too stressed to continue trying. But luckily for my beautiful Daughter this made all the difference. I was able to relax a little more and things started to get better.
Sometimes the "Probreast" (don't get me wrong, I'm "probreast") consultants would have a lot more success keeping people trying if they relaxed the message a little.
Regards,
Mum of Charlotte and one on the way (I hope to breastfed again. Maybe even longer this time)

[MantaRay]

I was thinking about this last night, about how lack of education is such a key factor, and what sort of things it would help to educate people about. Certainly I believe all health professionals need further education in the benefits and difficulties of breastfeeding, but in terms of educating the general public, and in particular girls/women of childbearing age/expectant mums, the following are the things that in my experience and those of my friends that would really help:

- How great the benefits are, that it's not just immunity that bf bubs get, but also thinks like better eyesight, jaw development, lower rates of leukemia etc
- How the benefits can really affect you in day to day life - eg in 12 months times when your child is around other children at day care, playgroup etc, how wonderful it is that they rarely get the bugs that so many of the other kids get regularly - my son is over 2, has been attending day care since 7 months and has never had an ear infection or gastro, despite being exposed lots of times
- That initial attachement can be, and often is, difficult for a variety of reasons - large breasts, tired bub, flat nipples, tongue-tie etc etc etc. How this does get much easier over time as the bub gets bigger and more experienced, and some ways of dealing with it - different holds, bfing pillows, nipple shields etc etc, also that resources like lc and ABA are out there and can make a huge difference.
- That most of us worry about not having enough milk, even when we actually have too much. That we should trust our bodies more, that frequent sucking causes more milk production and that inability to produce enough milk is actually very uncommon. That the growth charts in the health books are based on ff bubs. And that supplementing with formula can hinder instead of help, as it affects the supply/demand cycle. Again that the ABA and lc are available for help

THere are many other things, but I think those are the things that would be most helpful to most people. Also the ABA 24 hour help line should be more widely publicised. In the QLD health book it simply says "ABA" not what it is for etc.