Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. I am delighted to be here, as a woman, to discuss this. The Senator focused on one line which she said was important. It is up to each family to make the decision and the Senator is clear on that. We agree that it is important the family make the best decision for the mother and baby.

I am answering this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The promotion, support and protection of breastfeeding is a priority for children's health in Ireland. Breastfeeding in a Healthy Ireland: Health Service Breastfeeding Action Plan 2016-2021 is the framework for progressing supports for breastfeeding. The HSE is partnering with key divisions to provide the supports that mothers require at all stages of the breastfeeding continuum. The Deputy is right that if that decision is taken, it has to be understood that the supports are there. Some people find it difficult and some find it easy. We all know of cases where people give up in frustration even though they want to continue to breastfeed.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the delivery of some actions, the HSE will extend the implementation of the breastfeeding action plan into 2023 and continue to work on the priority outstanding actions. Ireland has a culture of bottle feeding and, in order to improve child and maternal health and reduce childhood obesity, we need to improve our breastfeeding rates.

While breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed the baby, it is a skill that mother and baby develop over the first days and weeks. With the right help, support and information, most mothers can start breastfeeding and continue for as long as they want to.

A combination of interventions at public health, public policy, clinical and community levels are the most effective way to support mothers to breastfeed for as long as they wish. Evidence-based interventions at clinical level include changes to policy and practice within hospital and community settings in line with best evidence on practices that support optimum infant feeding in maternity, paediatric, and community services. Integrating routine lactation consultant support improves the experience of care that mothers receive, along with breastfeeding initiation and duration rates. Midwives and public health nurses are trained in supporting breastfeeding, commencing in the antenatal period with the delivery of antenatal breastfeeding education. Midwives support antenatal education and help mothers to establish breastfeeding in the early days. Public health nurses, many of whom are midwives and paediatric nurses, continue to support breastfeeding mothers through the postnatal period. Every mother is visited by a public health nurse within 72 hours of leaving hospital. Breastfeeding mothers receive follow-up support if needed.

Until 2020 the implementation of the breastfeeding action plan was undertaken within existing HSE resources. The Minister for Health has advised me that a total of 34.5 new infant lactation posts were approved through the national maternity strategy and the Department between 2020 and 2021 to ensure every maternity unit and community health service will have dedicated posts in place. The HSE, most importantly, has recruited a national lead at the end of 2021 to support implementation of national infant feeding standards within maternity services.

To answer the Senator's main question, of the initial 10.5 infant feeding posts approved through the national maternity strategy, eight are currently filled and recruitment continues for the remaining 2.5 posts. The Minister for Health announced funding for 24 additional infant feeding posts in May last year, with funding for these permanent appointments confirmed in the national service plan 2022. Following sign-off of that plan, primary notifications for these positions have been secured and recruitment has commenced. I have requested the HSE to provide specific details on the recruitment campaign, and this information will be forwarded when it is available.

I have a list of where the 8.3 posts are in place and can share it with the Deputy after this debate, if it is helpful. There are currently 8.3 whole-time equivalent posts working in community services and 14 of the 24 new posts announced last year are allocated to community services to ensure that every public health nursing service has dedicated breastfeeding supports within their service. The breakdown of the allocated posts is 14.5 for community services and 9.5 for maternity services. I can share the information with the Senator afterwards. I have a breakdown of which counties it is currently being provided in.