Breastfeeding is more than nourishment – it is a gentle bond between mother and child, a moment of love, closeness, and trust. While it brings joy and satisfaction, breastfeeding can also be a challenging experience, especially for new mothers who face numerous questions, uncertainties, and physical difficulties.
That is why breastfeeding support groups exist – safe places where mothers gather, share experiences, receive advice, and get the support they truly need.
What are breastfeeding support groups?
Support groups are organized worldwide, but their structure and operations differ depending on the country and local resources. In Croatia, they often operate in collaboration with healthcare institutions and are usually initiated by community nurses.
Groups operate in a specific way and have even earned the name “Croatian experience.”
Community nurses find suitable spaces in the local community – in kindergartens, libraries, health centers, or even in mothers’ homes – and inform women about the opportunity to join.
During group meetings, mothers can ask questions, share their experiences, and receive professional and emotional support. The meetings are often informal but structured to allow each participant to engage. Sometimes, themed lectures, workshops, or guest consultations are organized, enriching the participants’ knowledge. Some groups also encourage the inclusion of fathers, partners, and family members to extend breastfeeding support beyond the mother’s role.
Who leads the groups?
Alongside community nurses as professional coordinators, an important role belongs to the mother-leader – a woman who has successfully breastfed, often more than one child, and who shares her experiences with joy and ease. Her strength lies in personal experience, a positive attitude, and deep empathy. She encourages other mothers to believe in themselves and their breastfeeding abilities despite difficulties or lack of support.The mother-leader knows how to listen, offer support, and passionately advocate for the importance of breastfeeding. While not formally a healthcare professional, her role is invaluable as a living link between expert knowledge and everyday practice.
Empowering Togetherness
These groups often create a strong sense of community. Mothers who meet regularly develop friendships, trust, and a sense of belonging. Those who have faced specific challenges can help others from personal understanding. This mutual support not only helps mothers continue breastfeeding but also strengthens their emotional well-being and self-confidence in motherhood.In more complex cases, the mother-leader turns to the professional coordinator – usually a community nurse – who provides additional expert advice.
Breastfeeding Through Support and Tradition
Breastfeeding is a skill passed down through generations – great-grandmothers, grandmothers, and mothers have shared knowledge through lived experience and daily support. In today’s world, where extended family support is often missing and young mothers are left on their own, these support networks are incredibly important.When multigenerational support is lacking, and new mothers return home from the hospital to uncertainties and challenges – sometimes with an equally inexperienced partner or a grandmother only briefly available – everyone needs strong support. This support can and should come from both healthcare professionals and trained volunteers.
Healthcare workers – community nurses, pediatricians, and nurses – along with volunteers and breastfeeding advocates, form the foundation of the support network. Breastfeeding support groups expand and strengthen this network by connecting professionals and mothers in a meaningful community.
Who Can Be a Mother-Leader?
Any woman who has successfully breastfed and overcome challenges can become a group leader. Formal education is not required – what matters more are empathy, communication skills, and the desire to help. Participating in such work brings a sense of purpose and personal growth that often extends into one’s family, friendships, and broader community.The gratitude expressed by mothers who receive support is a strong motivation for continued volunteering. Many leaders say the group work deepened their connection with their own motherhood and with other women. Some even go on to become educators in parenting programs, spreading their experience and knowledge to wider society.
Emotional and Mental Wellbeing of Mothers
Besides practical tips, these groups provide emotional safety. New mothers, especially first-time ones, may feel insecure, lonely, or anxious. Meeting women facing similar challenges can have a therapeutic effect.Numerous studies confirm that social support positively impacts mental health, and joining breastfeeding groups can be a protective factor against postpartum depression. Breastfeeding itself improves mood, and with emotional support from the community, mothers become stronger and more fulfilled.
Involving partners in breastfeeding and group activities can further strengthen family dynamics. When fathers and partners understand the importance of supporting mothers, the whole family becomes stronger, and the mother feels safer and more accepted.
Creating a Breastfeeding Culture
Breastfeeding support groups help create and nurture a breastfeeding-friendly culture – a social environment where breastfeeding is welcomed, accepted, and supported. This is crucial because a mother’s surroundings significantly influence her decisions. When supported, mothers are less likely to stop breastfeeding and more likely to feel confident in their role.Thus, support groups benefit not just individual mothers but act as promoters of public health within the community.
How to Join?
If you want to become part of a breastfeeding support group in your community – either as a participant or a mother-leader – you can find information at:- Local community nursing services or health centers
- Pediatric clinics
- Associations that promote breastfeeding and parenting
By joining, you not only receive support but also become part of a network of women who share, strengthen, and celebrate the experience of motherhood.
Well-established social support for breastfeeding women has a major impact on their health decisions. It is essential that they have the opportunity to share their experience with other women going through the same thing. This is especially important in the context of parenting.
Communication with women who can understand their journey empowers new mothers in their challenges and gives them extra strength to enjoy motherhood.
Groups that support breastfeeding provide mothers with role models, reliable information, and ways to solve potential difficulties during this period.
Breastfeeding makes the world a happier and healthier place for every mother and child. Let’s build and strengthen this vital support network to promote mental health through a safe and supportive breastfeeding experience.
Breastfeeding connects us – let’s build a community where every mother has the right to support and the strength to make her breastfeeding journey successful and fulfilling.
Literature and Recommended Resources:
- World Health Organization (WHO). Infant and Young Child Feeding: Model Chapter for Textbooks for Medical Students and Allied Health Professionals. Geneva: WHO; 2009.
- UNICEF. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_24806.html
- Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia. Breastfeeding Promotion Program in the Republic of Croatia.