Supportive dads increase breast milk success, Waikato University study shows

Stuff co.nz 3 July 2018
Family First Comment: “First-time mum Dena Baxter said breastfeeding wasn’t easy to begin with and an encouraging partner made it easier. She can see how mums turn to formula without enough support.”
Yep
#DadsMatter

Doting dads who chip in around the house could help to boost breast milk production in mothers, new research shows.

Those who feel supported by their partners have better milk production and more success in exclusively breast feeding, University of Waikato masters student Angga Rahadian’s​ research found.

Happy mums are the most important thing when it comes to feeding, with stress known to dry up the breast milk, Rahadian said.

While Rahadian, originally from Jakarta, based her research around Indonesian parents, her supervisor Dr Polly Atatoa Carr said it’s applicable to New Zealanders.

The research comes amid dropping breastfeeding rates in New Zealand.

Last year research found only 16 per cent of New Zealand mums were exclusively breastfeeding for the six month period recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Yet few breastfeeding campaigns target fathers, Atatoa Carr said.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/105159892/Supportive-dads-increase-breast-milk-success-Waikato-University-study-shows?cid=app-iPhone