National Breastfeeding Week
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Aine Magee with her daughter Sáerlá at the Breast feeding coffee morning in the Errigal Hotel. Alex Coleman.Image 2 of 4
Enjoying the National Breast Feeding Coffee Morning were Eithne Leahy with her daughter Naoise; Sinead Sheridan with her daughter Cora; and Finola McMahon with her son Jack. PHOTOS: ALEX COLEMAN Alex Coleman.Image 3 of 4
Colleen McCrudden and her daughter Bláithín and Cynthia Hahessy and her son Senan at the Breast Feeding Coffee morning. Alex Coleman.Image 4 of 4
Pictured at the National Breast Feeding Coffee Morning were Steph Moeran with her daughter Flora, Claire Lynch with her son Evan, Aisling Makharita with her daughter Evelyn and Lisa Lambolez with her daughter Fiona. Alex Coleman.A coffee morning was hosted at the Errigal Country House Hotel last week to celebrate National Breastfeeding Week. The event was organised by Healthy Ireland in partnership with Cavan CYPSC, Parenting Cavan in Cavan County Local Development, and the HSE Lactation Consultant teams from Cavan General Hospital and Cavan and Monaghan Public Health Nursing service.
The aim of the gathering was also to highlight the 'We’re Breastfeeding Friendly Cavan' initiative.
The initiative seeks to enhance the health and wellbeing of breastfeeding mothers, babies, and families by fostering a supportive community environment. Businesses and organisations that sign up to the programme can demonstrate their commitment to welcoming breastfeeding mothers through simple and cost-free actions.
Ann Crowe from Parenting Cavan shared that, to date, over 80 businesses have signed up to the initiative, and she received an overwhelmingly positive response when approaching local businesses for their involvement. "It’s wonderful to see so many organisations in Cavan willing to support breastfeeding families," Ann said.
This year’s National Breastfeeding Week theme, 'Supporting you from bump, to baby and beyond', focuses on raising awareness of the available local supports for parents. In Cavan and Monaghan, there are seven HSE breastfeeding support groups, offering a total of 15 meetings each month. These groups are led by volunteer peer supporters, public health nurses and lactation consultant specialists including Aileen Doyle, Annemarie Rice and Mairead Mc Cahill.
These groups aim to provide mothers with essential support, particularly those facing breastfeeding challenges, while emphasising the importance of mother-to-mother connections.
Last week's event featured a keynote talk by Carol Smyth, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT), who spoke on the topic of infant reflux. Her insights provided attendees, which included nursing mothers, breastfeeding peer supporters, midwives and public health nurses, with valuable knowledge on addressing common breastfeeding challenges.
This community event not only celebrated breastfeeding but also strengthened the network of support for mothers and families in Cavan, reinforcing the message that breastfeeding is a shared journey best supported together.
In addition to the HSE support groups, La Leche League Monaghan offers two meetings each month and 24-hour phone support for breastfeeding mothers. Friends of Breastfeeding have also recently trained a new local buddy to provide additional support for families.
For more information on breastfeeding support available in Cavan and Monaghan, parents are encouraged to visit mychild.ie/support