Do you have questions about breastfeeding your baby?

Expecting a baby?

If you are expecting a baby and would like to find out more about breastfeeding, you may be interested in coming along to one of our breastfeeding workshops. These are designed for new and expectant parents.

If you have had your baby and would like to speak to a counsellor about a breastfeeding question please read the information below about our helpline services. The helpline is available to ABA subscribers and non-subscribers alike.

Breastfeeding Helpline Service

ABA's breastfeeding counsellors help thousands of mothers every year. As breastfeeding mothers themselves, they know that breastfeeding may not always seem easy. Their experience can reassure new mothers and give them the knowledge to understand how breastfeeding works. 

Breastfeeding counsellors are all trained volunteers. All have breastfed at least one baby for at least nine months and undertaken the ABA breastfeeding counsellor training course to qualify. Counsellors provide counselling and breastfeeding information to any person seeking help. Counsellors are continually updating their breastfeeding knowledge and counselling skills.

Counsellors may be contacted by telephone or email. Counselling is also available in person at group meetings.

Email Counselling

If you would like to ask a breastfeeding question by email, we also have an email counselling service which is available through our national website. Email counsellors are rostered on and will be expecting counselling contacts, that means that they can answer your questions in a timely way.

If you send a counselling email to us via this local website (for Marrickville group) we may not receive it immediately. If your problem is urgent it may be quicker to contact one of our  email counsellors. We would also appreciate it if you did not send the same email enquiry to more than one email address or to more than one counsellor. This makes it very difficult for us to know whether you have been responded to already.

Telephone Counselling

All capital cities and some other areas run a Breastfeeding Helpline on a roster system. You can also look under Australian Breastfeeding Association in your local White Pages (Some books may still have us listed as Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia). The Helplines are available 7 days a week. Counsellors are answering calls in their own homes so please take this into consideration when calling.

BREASTFEEDING HELPLINES

New South Wales (02) 8853 4999

ACT/Southern New South Wales (02) 6258 8928
Queensland (07) 3844 8977 or (07) 3844 8166
Townsville (07) 47235566
South Australia and NT (08) 8411 0050
Northern Territory counsellor contact line (08) 8411 0301
Tasmania (03) 6223 2609
Tasmania - North (03) 6331 2799
Victoria (03) 9885 0653
Western Australia (08) 9340 1200


Has an ABA counsellor helped you? ABA needs members to ensure we continue to give our counselling services free of charge. Please consider becoming an ABA member. Details about how to subscribe are available on this website.

Please note:

ABA breastfeeding counsellors are all volunteers. Counsellors are not medically trained and so can not give medical advice. Their area of expertise is breastfeeding management.

Due to insurance issues, ABA is unable to offer our counselling service to residents of the United States or Canada. Mothers in these countries may like to contact the La Leche League for assistance. Please visit the La Leche League International website for contact details

Counsellors are mothers who have breastfed their own babies and trained extensively with ABA. There are about 90 Groups and 350 Counsellors in NSW. The Sydney Helpline receives about 40 calls a day and many more mothers are helped at meetings and elsewhere in the community. (Now ).

If you have not subscribed to ABA you can do so online through our national website. You can also join ABA by contacting your local Group. 

If you require counselling for a breastfeeding matter please call the Breastfeeding Helpline - 
(Sydney) 8853 4999

Visitors are always welcome at Marrickville Group, please see our local activities section for details.

Further information can be found on the ABA National Site