About Us

Founded in 1964 as the Nursing Mothers' Association, the Australian Breastfeeding Association is an organisation of people interested in the promotion and protection of breastfeeding. These include breastfeeding women and their partners, women who have breastfed in the past and health professionals such as doctors, lactation consultants and midwives. 

ABA gives mother-to-mother support to breastfeeding women via a national network of local groups. Regular discussion meetings are held where mothers may discuss their breastfeeding experiences and concerns with others in a similar situation, supported by trained breastfeeding counsellors. Telephone counselling is also available 7 days a week. In the capital cities and some regional centres, counsellors operate a Helpline, rotating their services via a roster. 

Groups also provide comprehensive libraries so mothers have easy access to breastfeeding information in their local areas. Some groups also hire out electric breast pumps. 

ABA's counsellors are all experienced mothers who have completed an extensive training programme and successfully breastfed their own children. They are volunteers working in their own time from their own homes. They are bound by a code of ethics which ensures they maintain a consistently high standard of service across Australia. 

Community education is another important aspect of ABA's work, with counsellors and subscribers being involved in antenatal and postnatal talks, lectures to trainee health professionals and those participating in in-service training, as well as child care providers. They also speak to students from kindergarten to secondary school level. 

ABA publishes a wide range of literature on breastfeeding and parenting, including handout material, inexpensive booklets on such subjects as breast and nipple care, expressing and storing breastmilk, introducing solid foods and weaning; comprehensive books and a reference and study guide for health professionals. Besides the magazine which is sent regularly to subscribers, ABA publishes a professional journal, Breastfeeding Review. Handout literature is also provided in languages other than English, in a low-literacy format and a breastfeeding cassette is available. 

Lactation Resource Centre

ABA's Lactation Resource Centre in Melbourne has one of the most comprehensive collections of breastfeeding information in the world, and specialises in providing current information on breastfeeding to health professionals. It also keeps breastfeeding counsellors up-to-date with the latest breastfeeding information, and may be accessed by them when they encounter unusual or very specialised cases. 

Mothers Direct

Australian Breastfeeding Association also sells a variety of lactation aids such as manual and electric breast pumps, nursing pads and expressed milk bags, as well as bras suitable for  breastfeeding and a wide range of family products. These may be purchased by mail order (catalogue) or obtained through local groups. The profits from these sales and subscription fees are the means by which the association continues to exist, so that the babies of Australia are given the opportunity to have the best possible start in life. 

For more information, contact the Australian Breastfeeding Association 

	Brisbane	07	3844 6488
	Toowoomba	07	4639  2401
	Townsville	07	4723  5566
	Cairns	07	4058 0007

The Breastfeeding Helpline numbers in Queensland are 

 07 - 3844 8166 and 07 - 3844 8977