A same-sex couple who received support from King Edward Memorial Hospital’s Breastfeeding Centre WA to allow both mothers to breastfeed are encouraging other women seeking support to reach out.
Joan Porter said while her wife Hannah Jackson had carried their son, Tygh, she wanted to also induce lactation in case Ms Jackson was not available or unable to and to forge a connection with her son.
“I wanted to be part of the experience but I found it was really difficult to find information online,” she said.
When Ms Porter contacted the Breastfeeding Centre in Subiaco, she was reassured that it was possible.
They began a process over six months that included taking a daily pill, learning to induce by hand and with a machine between six to eight times per day.
The couple, who are based in Broome with their now one-year-old boy Tygh, shared their experience last week during World Breastfeeding Week.
Ms Porter said she did not believe she could have learned to induce lactation without the support of the centre and said the Telehealth sessions were just as effective as an in-person service.
“They made me feel comfortable and confident. It was a long and arduous process that included getting up in the night to feed even before we had the baby, but it was definitely worth it,” she said.
“It was an incredible experience and helped me develop a connection with Tygh from the second he was on this planet.”
Ms Porter said Tygh also benefited from both of his mothers breastfeeding as it built up his immunity.
She encouraged others in same-sex relationships or those who had given birth by surrogacy or had adopted children to explore their options.
“Everyone’s going to make their own decisions and it is a big process. But I just want people to know that it’s possible,” Ms Porter said.
“The service that the centre provides is very specialised, so I hope this becomes more widely available and the medical community becomes better educated on how to support women in different circumstances.”
Breastfeeding Centre lactation consultant Shaughn Leach supported the couple and said it was a “privilege” to work with Ms Jackson and Ms Porter.
“We support people on their breastfeeding journey no matter what makes up their family. We’ll happily help anyone,” Ms Leach, who has been a consultant for 34 years, said.
Ms Leach said while breastfeeding support had long been available to mothers who had adopted babies or had a baby through surrogacy, the number of women who were the non-birthing partner seeking help was increasing.
She said the service taught mothers about preparing their body to make milk prior to their baby’s birth, how to pump the milk and store it and how to feed the baby and make a supply once it was born.
“It can be a fairly hard slog, but there is a reward to look forward to at the end,” Ms Leach said.
World Breastfeeding Week is observed in about 120 countries and has the support of leading global health organisations.
Studies have shown that babies who are not breastfeed are more likely to suffer from infections and have a higher infant-mortality rate.
This theme of this year’s WBW is ‘Let’s make breastfeeding at work, work’, which calls for breastfeeding support in the workplace.