Other breastfeeding support

There are normally publicly funded (free) lactation consultants available through your local DHB or other primary health providers - Plunket have several community lactation consultants available across the country. 

You can find these through SmartStart, or by asking your LMC or Plunket nurse.

You could also go to a private practice if you’d prefer. This will come at a cost, and the New Zealand Lactation Consultants Association has a good directory of consultants.

Here are just a few examples of the different types of breastfeeding support groups available across the country:

• Plunket Family Centres: Some of our Family Centres have drop-in breastfeeding support clinics. Ask your Plunket nurse what’s available in your area, or call PlunketLine (0800 933 922) and ask our general enquires staff
• La Leche League: The La Leche League offer mum-to-mum breastfeeding support all across New Zealand. 
• Birthing Centres – The Milk Café: The Wright Family Foundation Birthing Centres in Lower Hutt, Tauranga, Palmerston North and Mangere all offer Milk Café, a breastfeeding support group led by a local lactation consultant.
• Local mum-to-mum groups: Check out SmartStart or ask your LMC or Plunket nurse what’s available in your community.

• BreastFedNZ: This free, New Zealand-made app has a huge amount of evidence-based information all about breastfeeding – from cluster feeding to growth spurts, to breastfeeding twins and premature babies, and more. 

• Mama Aroha: This free app provides information about many aspects of breastfeeding. It includes information on the importance of breastfeeding, support for breastfeeding skin to skin, supply and demand feeding, what to expect, feeding cues, latching and positioning, hand expressing and milk storage.

  The app is New Zealand based and connects visuals and kupu Māori to provide a more visually informative resource that is easier to understand.