Breastfeeding in the News: Postpartum Support, Mum Guilt & Finding Time for Yourself

Friday, 9 October 2026

Welcome back to Breastfeeding in the News - our weekly roundup of stories we're reading, conversations we're following and issues affecting breastfeeding mums and families.

Each Friday, we're bringing together a few stories from around Australia and beyond, sharing the key takeaways in our own words and adding a little OMM perspective along the way.

This week, we're looking at the gaps in postpartum care experienced by women living in regional South Australia, including access to lactation support, and a very different conversation sparked by a Sydney mum who took a solo holiday after 15 months of pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Regional mums are speaking up about the gaps in postpartum care

For many new mums, the care they receive doesn't stop when their baby is born. The weeks and months afterwards can be just as important, and for women living outside major cities, accessing the support they need can be a real challenge.

A recent ABC News story has highlighted the experiences of women in South Australia's Limestone Coast, who have been sharing their stories of gaps in perinatal and postpartum care.

Women at a forum in Mount Gambier spoke about the difficulties of accessing services including physiotherapy and lactation support, with some needing to travel back to Adelaide to receive the care they needed.

For new mums, travelling long distances with a baby isn't always as simple as it sounds. There are the financial costs, the time involved, childcare and the physical and emotional demands of those early months of motherhood.

Read the full story on ABC News →

Postpartum support shouldn't depend on your postcode

One part of the story that really stood out to us was the discussion around lactation support.

Breastfeeding is often talked about as something that should come naturally, but the reality can be very different. Sometimes you need someone to help with positioning or attachment. Sometimes you're dealing with pain, supply concerns, pumping or a baby who is struggling to feed.

And sometimes you simply need someone knowledgeable to tell you that what you're experiencing is normal.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare identifies access to breastfeeding support services as one of the factors that can help support breastfeeding in Australia.

That support shouldn't be a luxury, and it shouldn't become significantly harder to access simply because you live in a regional or remote area.

The women featured in the ABC story are encouraging others to share their experiences with the Senate Select Committee on Women's Health, with submissions closing on 9 October 2026.

Their message is simple: if you have the capacity to share your experience, your voice can help shape what comes next.

A mum's solo holiday sparks a conversation about breastfeeding, motherhood and mum guilt

Our second story this week is a very different one, but it taps into another part of the motherhood conversation that we think is worth talking about.

Sydney mum Brooklyn Opetaia sparked a huge online discussion after sharing that her husband encouraged her to take a two-week solo holiday to Sicily after 15 months of pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Brooklyn initially felt reluctant to go, with concerns around the cost and the idea of leaving her family behind. But she ultimately took the trip and spoke about how the time away allowed her to reconnect with herself, return feeling refreshed and let go of some of the guilt that can come with taking time for yourself as a mum.

The story quickly went viral, with many women applauding the idea of mums being encouraged to have time that is just for them. Others questioned the cost of the trip, whether both parents would receive the same opportunity and whether a two-week overseas holiday is realistic for most families.

Read the full story in the Daily Telegraph →

Can we talk about mum guilt?

Whatever you think about taking a two-week holiday to Sicily, there's a bigger conversation underneath the headlines.

Why do mums so often feel guilty for wanting time for themselves?

After pregnancy, birth and months (or years) of breastfeeding, it can be easy to become completely consumed by the role of being someone's mum.

Your body has been feeding another person. Your days revolve around another person's needs. And if you're breastfeeding, even your ability to step away for a period of time can feel complicated.

Taking time for yourself doesn't mean you love your children any less.

It doesn't mean you're not grateful.

And it certainly doesn't mean you're failing at motherhood.

Of course, what "time for yourself" looks like will be different for everyone. For one mum it might be a two-week holiday. For another, it might be an uninterrupted coffee, an afternoon with friends, a night away or simply having someone else take over the bedtime routine.

There shouldn't be a hierarchy of self-care.

Breastfeeding is part of the story, but mums are people too

Both of this week's stories remind us of something we think is really important at OMM.

Supporting breastfeeding isn't just about breastfeeding itself.

It's about supporting the whole mum.

It's about having access to lactation support when you need it.

It's about being able to get postpartum care without travelling hours to find it.

It's about having people around you who understand that the early months of motherhood can be physically and emotionally demanding.

And it's about remembering that a mum doesn't stop being a person simply because she has become someone's mum.

Whether you're breastfeeding for a few weeks, a few months or several years, your identity doesn't have to disappear into motherhood.

You can love being a mum and still need, and deserve, time for yourself.

More breastfeeding news next Friday

That's this week's Breastfeeding in the News roundup.

Each Friday, we'll continue bringing you stories about breastfeeding, postpartum care, motherhood, women's health, research, advocacy and the issues affecting breastfeeding families.

Have you come across a story we should feature? Send it our way.

See you next Friday. 

Sources: ABC News and The Daily Telegraph. Please visit the original articles above for the full stories and reporting.