News stories about ABA's work to support mums and their families from around Australia
Congratulations to Professor Lisa Amir AM for significant service to women's health, particularly breastfeeding research and support.
Professor Lisa Amir is a medical practitioner with a long-standing interest in women’s health and an international expert in breastfeeding and mastitis. She is also the inaugural editor-in-chief of the International Breastfeeding Journal, which is the leading publication in the field.
She was captured by the science of breastfeeding after joining the Nursing Mothers’ Association, now the Australian Breastfeeding Association. This led to her doing further study comprising of a graduate diploma, a master’s degree, and a PhD — on mastitis plus a career focused on breastfeeding medicine in general practice and the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne.
Professor Amir became recognised as the go-to consultant for other GPs and maternal and child health nursefor mothers’ breastfeeding pain.
“The most common cause is the baby is not attached properly,” says Professor Amir. “People sometimes want to come up with other issues, like the baby has tongue-tie or the mother has an infection, but we always go back to, ‘Is the baby attaching properly with a wide, open mouth?’
Interestingly Professor Amir noted that these days, less people are being seen breastfeeding, so attachment issue are more common.
“People aren’t seeing enough people breastfeeding out and about, and at home, so they tend to bend forward and put the breast in the baby’s mouth as if it was a bottle”, says Professor Amir. “We generally say, ‘Lean back so the baby is on top and more supported so they can get that wide, open mouth’.”
Professor Amir said she was pleased to be honoured along with other notable recipients and looked forward to celebrating her AM for significant service to women’s health, particularly breastfeeding research and support, with her husband and two daughters.
“It doesn’t sound real, but now that I’m talking about it, it’s exciting. I'm grateful to ABA/NMAA for introducing me to the world of breastfeeding and breastfeeding supporters, which led to a career working in breastfeeding medicine and research.”
Professor Amir is most proud of her work in establishing the International Breastfeeding Journal and leading the journal as Editor-in-Chief for 20 years. Publishing research open access is important as it enables easy access by families and clinicians. IBJ has now published nearly 900 articles online.
“I’m truly honoured to be acknowledged alongside many remarkable Australians. This award reflects the importance of women’s health and the collective efforts of those working to support mothers and babies every day.”
Congratulations Professor Amir!
Celebrating ABA's 60th anniversary
The ABA’s 60th anniversary is approaching and we have the following key dates confirmed for our exciting celebrations in 2024, with more events and activities to come.
- ABA 60th anniversary celebrations launch, 9th February, 2024
- 60th Birthday Cake Celebration (online), 13th February, 2024
- National Mothering Week 6-12 May, 2024 - Special free, online Connect & Share sessions celebrating ABA’s 60th anniversary.
- World Breastfeeding Week 1-7 August, 2024 - The WBW theme will be supported by ABA’s 60th anniversary theme.
Launch of the BiBS Study Report
On Friday, 23 June 2023, the Community Protection for Infants and Young Children in Bushfire Emergencies project team unveiled the findings from the Babies and Young Children in the Black Summer (BiBS) Study. A host of distinguished guests, representatives from various organisations, and Eurobodalla community members and families who took part in the study gathered at the picturesque Botanical Gardens in Batemans Bay, NSW, to hear the findings of this groundbreaking research.
The surveys and interviews conducted with 256 parents of young children (0 to 4 years old at the time of the Black Summer bushfires) and 63 emergency responders highlighted the challenges faced by the parents of very young children in disasters. They provided much-needed insight into what needs to be improved to better support this vulnerable group in future disasters.
ABA volunteers recognised in the King's Birthday 2023 Honour's List
ABA is delighted to congratulate Ros Escott AM and Margaret Grove OAM on their King's Birthday 2023 Honour's List recognition.
Both long-serving ABA volunteers who have given so much to the Association and families across Australia, Ros has been inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia and Margaret has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, for their incredible community service.
Ros has been a breastfeeding counsellor and educator with ABA since 1987 and was made an Honorary Member in 2007 for her contribution nationally and internationally, including serving on the national board and national training team.
Margaret has been a breastfeeding counsellor since 1983 and has been ABA's National President since 2019. Her ABA roles over the years include Group Leader, Branch Training Manager and Director.
Thank you Ros and Margaret, and congratulations on this well-deserved celebration of your achievements!
National Volunteer Week 2023
National Volunteer Week ran from 15 to 21 May 2023. This year’s theme was The Changemakers.
We were able to celebrate our wonderful volunteers who contribute so much to and with the Association and are an integral part of the fabric of who we are, and what we do.
As part of National Volunteer Week, we also recognised 16 Exceptional Achievers who go above and beyond to support mums, bubs and families.
National Mothering Week 2023
Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate National Mothering Week for 2023!
Held annually in the week leading up to Mother’s Day, National Mothering Week is all about celebrating mums, recognising the mothering experience, and holding space for mum-to-mum connection.
This year’s theme, 'Making it work – wherever you’re at', was all about celebrating the varied and diverse ways that mums and families navigate life with young children. This theme aimed to start a conversation about the sometimes messy, always unique experience of motherhood; and to acknowledge that ‘making it work’ (and the pathway to get there) looks different for each mum, at each stage.
Across Australia, ABA’s local groups ran some wonderful events to honour motherhood, from morning teas, to pamper sessions, cafe catch-ups, and more.