Pacific Trust Otago adds ‘Breastfeeding Peer Support’ to their Services for 2023
Tēnā koe, Talofa lava, Kia orana, Mālō e lelei, Mauri, Taloha ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Fakatalofa atu, Ni sa bula vinaka, Tēnā koutou kātoa and warm Pacific greetings.
Pacific Trust Otago is excited to announce that it will now be providing a Breastfeeding Peer Support service to all its Pasefika families. This service is free and is funded by Te Whatu Ora Southern. Providing breastfeeding support will help towards increasing breastfeeding knowledge, confidence and enjoyment for both mother and baby.
We have identified the need for such a service, as research and data show that the breastfeeding rates within the Pasefika Community are very low. This could be due to lack of relevant information or cultural support for Pasefika, which is where we at Pacific Trust Otago, are able to provide a safe space for our mothers-to-be, and mothers to talanoa with confidence.
The National Feeding Data at Discharge Report 2021 (NZBA) states “The exclusive breastfeeding rate for Pacific infants has further declined by 1.91% over the last year to 69.64%. Exclusive breastfeeding for Pacific infants has declined every year, over the past 8 years”. The report also shows the highest percentage of artificially fed infants are from Pacific families.
Pacific Trust Otago is a community owned provider of Health, Education and Social Services to Pacific peoples. We take pride in being the only Pacific Provider governed by the Pacific Community in Dunedin. We work within a holistic framework to improve the health and wellbeing of our community.
The Breastfeeding Peer-Support Program is open to all Pasefika women, starting Monday 30th January 2023, during our normal working hours (9:00am-5:00pm). Appointments are necessary.
For more information on how to access this service, please visit our website, www.pto.nz or call:
Temukisa (Office Administrator)
Phone: (03) 455 1722 ext 0
Email: office@pto.nz
