Group home
Welcome to the Lake Macquarie Group!
Come along and meet new friends. Chat with mothers who have 'been there' and connect with our local breastfeeding counsellors and educators.
Our local group offers a non-judgmental, supportive atmosphere to all mums and their families to share the frustrations and the joys of parenting, and access accurate information about babies and breastfeeding.
We support all families. Mums who are mixed-feeding, bottle feeding, exclusively expressing or not breastfeeding are always welcome. We chat in a relaxed setting and there is often access to a breastfeeding counsellor or educator who can assist you with any breastfeeding questions, worries or issues you may be having.
What we offer
We run group activities in conjunction with our neighbouring ABA groups. Our 'Info and Chat' events may be online or in-person and will have a discussion topic. Check the Calendar tab for details. Our events are very informal and are run by volunteers. No-one minds if you’re running late or need to leave early!
Are you expecting a baby? Breastfeeding Preparation Sessions run weekly during the evenings or at weekends. We encourage you to book in if you are pregnant and wanting to learn more about breastfeeding before your baby arrives.
We also offer breast pump hire.
Dads, friends and grandparents are also welcome and babies and children of all ages of course. So if you’ve never been to our group before (or it’s been a while since your last visit), why not come along and say hello? We’d love to see you!
Where we are
Lake Macquarie ABA covers the local areas to the north including Cameron Park, east to Cardiff Heights, Garden Suburb and over to Whitebridge Charlestown and Dudley and Redhead. We cover both the eastern and western sides of Lake Macquarie from Swansea , Belmont Gateshead and Valentine via Warners Bay West Wallsend , Toronto to Morisset.
Download our group events calendar
Info & Chat
Learn more about breastfeeding and parenting. Speakers can include a breastfeeding educator, health professional or a mum with lived experience.
Breastfeeding drop-in
Your questions and concerns about breastfeeding answered by our local breastfeeding counsellors.
Can I still come to local group events if...
...I haven't had my baby yet?
Yes - attending meetings while you're pregnant is a great way to see other women breastfeeding and learn more about it. Many of us nowadays don't have much experience with babies until we have our own, so we need all the help we can get!
You might also like to check out our popular breastfeeding education classes.
...everything is going fine?
Yes! You don't need to be having problems with breastfeeding or anything else to come along and enjoy some interesting conversation and connect with local mums. It’s not just about getting Information and support. Our regular attendees keep coming along because it’s fun to be part of our local group.
...I already go to a mothers' group or playgroup?
Yes! ABA meet ups are more than a new parents' group. There are babies and children of different ages so there’s no competition over whose child reaches the next milestone first/sleeps longest/gains weight fastest. Instead, you get to see children older than yours and find out what's ahead for you. You can also see how far your baby has come every time a newborn arrives. It really helps to get a broad perspective.
Our local group activities are also more than just a playgroup or a coffee catch up. You get to have a conversation with another adult while your child plays. You also have access to information about raising children and can chat to a breastfeeding counsellor or educator.
...I don't breastfeed?
Yes, as long as you don't mind seeing others breastfeed. We know that sometimes things don't work out as you’d planned. We have members who are exclusively breastfeeding, pumping and bottle feeding, mixed feeding, and exclusively formula feeding.
Everyone is welcome: no judgement, no competitions, no 'alpha parents'. We're all in this together.
...my child is not a baby any more?
Yes, mums don't stop needing support once their child is mobile or starts walking!
...I'm not an ABA member?
Yes! ABA Local Group events are open to everyone. We just ask that you ‘sign-in’ using the QR provided to you by the group leader. This will give you access to free, ongoing Introductory ABA membership.
Joining ABA as a financial member provides us with much needed funding to continue to support mums, parents and families in the community.
Can't make it to local group events? ABA Virtual Village is just a click away!
Become an ABA member and get involved with your local group as a volunteer
Details
Calendar
Breast pump hire
Breast pump hire
Our group hires electric breast pumps for you to express milk for your baby. ABA members receive a 50% discount on pump hire. Not a member yet? No problem, it's easy to join and access your discount.
Hiring pumps through ABA
All breast pumps for hire are hospital-grade. They are available for short-term or long-term hire.
Both the Ardo Carum and Ardo Calypso breast pumps are endorsed by the Australian Breastfeeding Association. Ardo is in full compliance with the International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes (WHO Code).
When hiring through your local ABA group you get an initial consultation to work out the best options for you and information on how to maximise your expressed milk and how to store it safely. You can contact your breast pump hire officer for more help along the way if you need it. All funds raised through breast pump hire go towards supporting your local group.
Breast pump hire is run by dedicated volunteer breastfeeding counsellors and educators who provide the service from their homes. As busy mums with work and family commitments, we ask for your understanding if we are unable to respond as promptly as you desire. There are many families wanting to hire pumps so there are often times when all local pumps are already hired out.
Breast pump hire contacts
To check breast pump availability, check the table below or call our breast pump hire officer. If no pumps are available locally check the map for pumps available in nearby groups.
| Location | Contact |
| Lake Macquarie - Holmesville | Kathleen: 0421 343 924 or 4955 2940 |
Weekly hire rates
Kathleen: 0421 343 924 or 4955 2940
Kathleen: 0421 343 924 or 4955 2940
Kathleen: 0421 343 924 or 4955 2940
You will also need a milk collection kit to connect to the pump you hire. If you do not already have one, you can buy the kit when you hire a pump. Costs vary from time to time – ask your ABA breast pump hire officer for current prices.
COVID-19 health measures for pump hiring
Our guidelines for interactions with families and the cleaning of our pumps include:
- the ABA Breast Pump Hiring Officer being well and not having been in contact with anyone who is sick
- options for completing paperwork and payment online
- collecting/returning the breast pump from/to the ABA Breast Pump Hiring Officer’s doorstep
- stringent cleaning of returned pumps (Please note that it is standard practice that all mothers hiring our pumps are required to purchase their own milk collection kit which is available to buy at the time of hiring.)
- getting breastfeeding and pumping support via telephone on the Breastfeeding Helpline 1800 686 268
- accessing information on expressing from our website.
Read more about expressing
Browse the information booklets in our Marketplace, including: