Preterm and LBW infants have a 2- to 10-fold higher risk of mortality than infants born at term and with normal birth weight. Despite substantial progress over the last 10 years, the survival, health, growth and neurodevelopment of preterm and LBW infants remains concerning in many countries. Reasons include the complexities of caring for these vulnerable infants and preventing complications.

The MSD report on Child Poverty 2022 was launched last month. The data showed there are still too many children in New Zealand locked into poverty.

Hear from our breastfeeding champion, review of the BFHI documents, milk banking project, Baby Friendly re-accreditations and more!

LLLNZ's mission is to help mothers to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information and education and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.

Sharing inter-generational knowledge in maternal and child wellbeing

As people across the globe celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, Nutrition International and Alive & Thrive are pleased to announce a comprehensive update to the Cost of Not Breastfeeding Tool, with data for virtually every country around the world, a new easy-to-use dashboard and a feature that explores what would happen if a country’s breastfeeding rates increased.

Matua Henare speaks with Dale Husband for World Breastfeeding Week 2022.

New Zealand Breastfeeding Alliance (NZBA), the NZ College of Midwives and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand have joined forces to remind New Zealanders that successful breastfeeding involves the whole whānau.

Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) is the leading cause of preventable mortality in New Zealand infants. Māori and Pacific infants have consistently higher rates of SUDI compared to non-Māori and non-Pacific infants. The Ministry commissioned research in 2020 to better understand the reasons behind the number of babies dying from SUDI and identify improvements to the Ministry-led National SUDI Prevention Programme (NSPP). The NSPP is the latest iteration of SUDI-prevention initiatives.

The New Zealand Breastfeeding Alliance (NZBA) coordinates the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) and collects annual infant feeding data at discharge as part of its contract with the Ministry of Health. This data is used to inform the BFHI accreditation process and is shared widely with the health sector to help inform practices that protect, promote, and support the initiation of breastfeeding

The Canterbury Breastfeeding Advocacy Service is a health promotion contract managed by Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust. The service has been developed with the primary aim of supporting breastfeeding whānau, by working to remove the barriers to breastfeeding. Te Puawaitanga Ki Ōtautahi Trust is a kaupapa Māori provider of a range of health, education and social services and a member organisation of NZBA.

The publication includes 60 recommendations to help shape a positive postnatal experience, including guidelines for breastfeeding counseling to aid attachment and positioning as breastfeeding is established.