Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Encouraging mothers to breastfeed is a priority, both for the Department of Health and for the Health Service Executive (HSE). National health policy, which includes the Healthy Ireland Framework, the National Maternity Strategy, the Obesity Policy and Action Plan, and the National Cancer Strategy, all emphasise the importance of supporting mothers to breastfeed, as well as the overall aim of increasing breastfeeding rates in Ireland.

Since 2016, through the Health Service Breastfeeding Action Plan (Breastfeeding in a Healthy Ireland), progress has been made in supports available for breastfeeding in Ireland. The HSE has established the National Breastfeeding Implementation Group to progress a range of actions, across a number of divisions, to provide the supports that mothers require at all stages of the breastfeeding continuum.

Resources have been made widely available in healthcare settings, which highlight the benefits of breastfeeding but also give useful practical information on developing the skill of breastfeeding in those first few weeks and months. The HSE mychild.ie website, is a one stop point of information for parents of infants and young children, to promote healthy eating in the first one thousand days of life. Peer support groups and the establishment of the “We’re breastfeeding friendly” initiatives are very welcome supports promoted by the Healthy Ireland framework to encourage new mothers to feel at ease breastfeeding their infants on demand, when out and about socialising with friends and family. Access to education and training for all healthcare staff has improved due to availability of blended learning options, such as HSeLanD, so that healthcare professionals can provide evidence-based care to expecting and new parents.

In 2021, Minister Donnelly announced additional funding to the HSE of €1.58 million to fund 24 additional lactation consultants thereby providing support to every maternity unit in the country. This funding supports more new mothers in maternity and primary care settings to breastfeed their infants. There are currently 58.1 WTE dedicated lactation posts employed in the HSE, with 35.5 WTE working in maternity services and 23.6 WTE in primary care.

The vision of the Healthy Ireland framework is that everyone can reach physical and mental health and well-being to their full potential. Government support and promotion of breastfeeding is evident in the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative Report (WBTI) report. The report sets out clear objectives for further development which can be used to benchmark future breastfeeding initiatives. The Government remains committed to improving the breastfeeding rates in Ireland and it will remain a priority for new policy development which is due in the coming years