Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Encouraging mothers to breastfeed is a priority, both for the Department of Health and for the HSE . The Healthy Ireland Framework, Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan, the National Maternity Strategy, the Obesity Policy and Action Plan, and the National Cancer Strategy, emphasise the importance of supporting mothers who breastfeed, as well as taking action to increase breastfeeding rates in Ireland.

The HSE Breastfeeding in a Healthy Ireland Action Plan 2016-2021 is the framework for progressing supports for breastfeeding in Ireland. A HSE Breastfeeding Action Plan Implementation Group was established to oversee delivery of the plan and a national breastfeeding co-ordinator was appointed as lead. The Department of Health works closely with the HSE National Breast-Feeding co-ordinator in the implementation of the HSE Breastfeeding Action Plan 2016-2021, which has been extended out to 2025.

The HSE has developed a comprehensive suite of communication and health promotion resources to support breastfeeding. It provides evidenced based impartial information and support for feeding options in infants and young children on the mychild.ie website and through social media channels. Resources are available for parents to-be and new parents, including print and online information. Breastfeeding information is integrated into all mychild publications and there are a number of specific breastfeeding publications available. The website and breastfeeding supports available (online and in-person) are promoted through paid and organic social media advertising throughout the year alongside TV, radio and media campaigns at certain times of the year e.g. National Breastfeeding Week. Other information support such as MyPregnancy, MyChild 0-2, Mychild 2-5 are provided directly by practitioners to compliment content available online.

In the last 4 years, the HSE has invested in a promotional campaign for parents aged 25 to 45 on mychild.ie and, as one of the most popular topics, breastfeeding features strongly in this ongoing campaign. The website experienced huge growth during the pandemic with website visits rising from 1.4 million in 2019 to 5.6 million in 2021. It has had five million visits in 2022.

Parents can contact the HSE’s online breastfeeding support service through the ‘Ask our breastfeeding expert’ service on mychild.ie. The service was established in 2014 and is provided by a team of lactation consultants. It is available seven days a week with the live chat service available Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm.

Breastfeeding support groups were restricted from meeting in person during the Covid-19 pandemic, but many are back operating as in person support groups. Voluntary organisations offer breastfeeding support groups in addition to the HSE, there are over 220 breastfeeding supports nationwide available in every county and the number is increasing. The vast majority of support groups meet in person, but online options are available to individuals where in-person groups are not accessible.

All nineteen maternity hospitals provide antenatal education and breastfeeding preparation classes. A new National Antenatal Education Programme for Women and their Chosen Birth Partners in line with (links.uk.defend.egress.com/Warning?crId=6605bb7dc5024bf7524f0117&Domain=health.gov.ie&Lang=en&Base64Url=eNpFi0EOgDAIwF7EuPsbdCgkOJYNQ_y9Jh68NWkrEX0uiJlZZHJRRm4H0upXYIqjMFlIstnK-hq_BvShPjTuF_wYdJ48cRO1Cl8N1Cr8C7XgRkEGXEuv-wMQBSwo&@OriginalLink=https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/healthwellbeing/our-priority-programmes/child-health-and-wellbeing/antenatal-ed.pdf) is being implemented across all maternity hospitals in 2024.

There is a blended approach with in-person and online delivery of antenatal education in line to meet the demand for antenatal education services and service user requests. In situations where a woman is likely to need additional support to breastfeed, the pregnant woman will also have the opportunity to have a consultation with an infant feeding/lactation midwife or nurse during her pregnancy. Over the last three years, the number of lactation consultants across community and acute services has doubled to improve access to breastfeeding supports to all new parents.

Research indicates that breastfeeding gives a child the optimum start in life and that increasing our breastfeeding rates will contribute to improvements in child and maternal health and can contribute to the reduction of childhood obesity and chronic diseases. Currently the HSE are evaluating the implementation of the Breastfeeding Action plan and consideration will be given to how best to support mothers to breastfeed and increase breastfeeding rates in Ireland in the coming years.