More women will have access to free online one-on-one support with specialist breastfeeding lactation consultants with more funding on the way.

The announcement comes as the annual Global Big Latch On event starts today.

Thousands of people are expected to gather at venues across Aotearoa from Friday to Sunday to celebrate breastfeeding.

Organised by the Women's Health Action charity, it is also an opportunity to support and connect parents and whānau on all infant-feeding journeys, within their own communities.

PlunketLine Manager Tania Dick says they are looking forward to receiving additional funding from Te Whatu Ora in the next few weeks which will help us keep up with the growing demand for PlunketLine's free online video conferencing breastfeeding support service.

'In the past year our team of six specialist breastfeeding lactation consultants has provided more than 1300 one-on-one support sessions which people access through PlunketLine 0800 933 922.”

She says it's quite normal for breastfeeding not to go as planned especially in those early days. It's alearnt skill for both māmā and pēpi – having support that people can access at a place and time that suits them can make all the difference.

Plunket Nurse and Lactation Consultant Tracey Tretheway, who is one of the breastfeeding lactation consultants, says it is really rewarding being there to support and empower women to reach their breastfeeding goals.

'It may be a small issue that they need support with to make life easier, or completely changing their breastfeeding experience.

'Recently a client thanked me, and I told her that she actually did the hard work – I was just there to act as her sidekick or coach. She then responded with, ‘well you coached a winner!' I just loved that. This māmā was so fragile when we met, so to call herself a winner was so uplifting.”

How it works

• Call PlunketLine on 0800 933 922 (this is free, and available 24/7) and we'll do an assessment and book you an appointment with one of Plunket's International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC®).
• Appointments are available during the day, evenings and on weekends, to make things as easy as possible for you.
• Appointments are free and available for all breastfeeding women – even if Plunket isn't your WellChild provider.
• Once you've booked an appointment, we'll send you a link (and instructions) for how to download Zoom, the secure and reliable video chat app we use.
• The appointment is carried out in a private environment, and you're more than welcome to have a support person with you.