AS Wodonga mum Jenni Singleton cocoons her three-day-old babe in arms she feels blessed.
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Connor is an easy-going baby who has taken to breastfeeding naturally.
Mrs Singleton breastfed Connor’s brothers August, 10, Isaac, 7, and Flynn, 5.
“I’m very lucky to have been able to breastfeed all of them,” she said.
Wodonga-born and bred, Mrs Singleton had all of the boys in Wodonga, where she and her husband Phil will raise them.
The Wodonga Council employee, who breastfed their first three sons for 12 months, credits access to information, timely advice and a supportive employer for her experiences.
“The 24-hour Breastfeeding Helpline was great; if you’re having problems it’s not necessarily in business hours,” she said.
Mrs Singleton’s positive experience stands out in Wodonga where rates of exclusive breastfeeding are well below the Victorian average.
Wodonga Council Family, Youth and Early Years manager Marcia Armstrong said while the gap in breastfeeding rates between Wodonga and the state was 3 per cent at birth, it widened to 26 per cent by the six-month mark.
“In Wodonga, while almost 70 per cent of new mums are exclusively breastfeeding when they leave hospital, this drops to just 8 per cent by the time bub is six months old, compared to the state figure of 38 per cent,” Ms Armstrong said.
“These rates are also well below the recommendations of the World Health Organisation, which is aiming for a 50 per cent rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months by 2025, up from a global rate of 38 per cent.”
Wodonga Council urges new mums to seek help with breastfeeding as it marks World Breastfeeding Week.
The week runs until August 7 and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action urges support for women to breastfeed in the workplace.
Ms Armstrong said Wodonga Council supported mums to breastfeed through the maternal and child health service and by being a family-friendly employer.
“The council supports mothers in our workplace to continue breastfeeding through provisions in the enterprise bargaining agreement and by having available a hospital-grade breast pump to express milk,” she said.
“Workplaces can ensure they provide enough maternity leave for mums to establish breastfeeding, space and time to breastfeed or express milk at work and encourage a supportive environment for working mothers.”
Now on maternity leave, Mrs Singleton values her family-friendly employer.
“It’s lovely to have a workplace that supports having a baby and breastfeeding.”
