Group home
Welcome to the Mornington Peninsula Group!
Come along and meet new friends. Chat with people who have 'been there' and connect with your local breastfeeding village
Like and follow us on Facebook for extra coffee shop meets and park plays
| Mornington Peninsula Catch-Ups | ||
| Date | Topic | Venue |
| Wed 3 Apr 10-11:30am |
Play in the Park | Overport Playground Frankston South |
| Wed 17 Apr 10-11:30am |
Weaning | Frankston North Community Centre |
| Wed 1 May 10-11:30am |
Looking After You | Frankston North Community Centre |
| Tue 7 May 1:30-3pm |
Social Chat and Play | Chelsea Heights Community Centre |
| Wed 15 May 10-11:30am |
Social Chat and Play | Frankston North Community Centre |
| Tue 21 May 1:30-3pm |
Social Chat and Play | Chelsea Heights Community Centre |
| Everyone is welcome including babies, children, family and friends | ||
Our local group offers a non-judgmental, supportive atmosphere to all families to share their parenting experiences, and access accurate information about babies and breastfeeding.
We support all families. Those who are mixed-feeding, bottle feeding, exclusively expressing or not breastfeeding are always welcome. We chat in a relaxed setting and there is always access to a breastfeeding counsellor or educator who can assist you with any breastfeeding questions, worries or issues you may be having.
Addresses
Frankston North Community Centre: 26 Mahogany Ave, Frankston North
Chelsea Heights Community Center: 160 Thames Promenade, Chelsea Heights
What we offer
We meet twice a month on Wednesdays and once a month on a Friday at Frankston North Community Centre, 26 Mahogany Ave, Frankston North. Our local group catch-ups are welcoming and friendly. Our trained volunteers are available for breastfeeding support if required, however most of our families attend to socialise and for connection. Many great friendships have started at the Australian Breastfeeding Association catch-ups.
Gatherings are informal. Our discussion topics are introduced and guided in a relaxed way by one of our volunteers. Everyone is encouraged to share their experiences and questions in our discussions. We offer you a hot drink, and there is always time for a social chat after our discussion.
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 have face to face Breastfeeding Education Classes available. Either is a great way to prepare for breastfeeding before your baby arrives. Then come along and meet the group. This is so much easier to do before the birth, rather than afterwards when you are trying to find your feet as a mum and everything is new!
Where we are
Our group area covers the Peninsula and bayside suburbs from Portsea to Mordialloc. Our group meet mostly in Frankston North, with occasional cafe or park plays across the Peninsula.
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
We off Medela Symphony, Ardo Carum and Ameda Elite breast pumps for hire. All breast pumps for hire are hospital-grade. They are available for short-term or long-term hire.
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 people with work and family commitments, we ask that if your call is unanswered you please send a text message to ensure we can get back to you as quickly as possible.
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 |
| Langwarrin |
Christie: |
| Skye |
Julia: |
|
Mornington |
Mary: |
Weekly hire rates
Christie: 0424 022 625
Christie: 0424 022 625
Julia: 0401 186 089
Mary: 0406 156 713
Mary: 0406 156 713
Mary: 0406 156 713
Christie: 0424 022 625
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.
- ARDO CARRUM double kit is $60
- MEDELA SYMPHONY double kit is $70 (single person use)
- Payment Via EFT preferred prior to pick up
- Pick up from private residence
- Pick up time flexible from 0800-2000
- Hire for 1 week - 6 months or more
- Equipment for pump available at time of hire
- Hire comes with comprehensive expressing information and links to resources
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: