National Breastfeeding Week is currently underway across the Northern Sound region. According to 2023 HSE figures, 64% of babies were breastfed from birth with figures still on the rise. Lorna Fitzpatrick Gaule is a peer support leader with the Virginia Breastfeeding Group. Speaking on this morning's Joe Finnegan Show, Lorna credited additional funding by the HSE for hospitals and community breastfeeding forums for the rise.
According to Lorna, funding has been "invaluable" for establishing roles such as lactation consultants and providing further training for midwives and other health care professionals. While Lorna described these supports as "crucial" during the initial days and weeks of breastfeeding, she also highlighted the importance of community breastfeeding groups who support mothers in the after math of that. She added that there are seven HSE support groups now accessible for parents in the Cavan and Monaghan regions providing a total of thirteen meetings each month.
Three HSE Lactation Specialists are now available in the Cavan/Monaghan area: Annemarie Rice and Aileen Doyle are in Cavan General Hospital and Mairead McCahill is in the Cavan/Monaghan community. 55% of mothers are breastfeeding on discharge from Cavan General Hospital and 33% of mothers are still breastfeeding 3 months later. This year the theme for National Breastfeeding Week is ‘Supporting you from Bump to Baby and Beyond.’ Mairead Mc Cahill, Public Health Nurse Lactation Specialist in Cavan and Monaghan, said; "This aspiration is met through the wonderful breastfeeding support groups available in the Cavan & Monaghan areas."
