BREASTFEEDING mothers who run into difficulties once home from hospital can
now get professional 24 hour help through Baby Matters, a home and clinic based
private service recently set up by former hospital midwife and certified
lactation consultant, Julie O'Connor.

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   Approximately 30 per cent of Irish women currently breastfeed their, newborn
infants although this figure drops to around 15 per cent when the baby is three
months old.

   This low percentage of breastfeeding mothers (at least 50 per cent of mothers
breastfeed in many other EU countries and in the US) is in spite of both the
Department of Health's promotion of breastfeeding and the breastfeeding policies
now in place in all Dublin maternity hospitals.

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   "Breastfeeding is hard work but if women had more realistic expectations
about it, they would cope better. Once you get established in breastfeeding, it
is a fantastically therapeutic and relaxing experience," enthuses O'Connor.


Copyright The Irish Times, March  4,  1996,  CITY EDITION, By SYLVIA
THOMPSON

Arly Helm                                       [log in to unmask]
(MS, Nutrition & Food Sciences, CLE, IBCLC; LC for IHC)