I asked the right questions … but I asked the wrong people!

These are the words of a mother breastfeeding her second baby, reflecting on her experience of not being supported to do so with her first.

She’d thought she was well-prepared and in good hands. She trusted the advice she was given about breastfeeding - and when she was told it wouldn't work out. It was only as she prepared for the arrival of her second baby that she discovered how much inaccurate information she had received first time around.

She learned she needed to be her own advocate. Debriefing with breastfeeding counsellors and IBCLCs she was able to identify the reasons she was unable to establish breastfeeding. She educated herself about managing things differently - and breastfed her second child beyond their second birthday.

Mothers deserve to be supported by health professionals who are informed and resourced to enable them to breastfeed. It should not be luck of the draw, getting the midwife who invests personally in ongoing breastfeeding education. It shouldn't be a matter of asking around for recommendations of GPs who support breastfeeding. All doctors and nurses should support breastfeeding: it is in every professional guideline they are supposed to abide by. Formula manufacturers should not be influencing health professionals. They should not be providing their breastfeeding education! Every midwife should be highly motivated to help mothers overcome breastfeeding challenges and have the time to give support.

Mothers do not fail to breastfeed. They are vulnerable to misinformation from family and friends. They should not be vulnerable to misinformation from medical practioners. Our systems should protect them from that.