Supporting the Whole Journey: Mental Health Matters in Breastfeeding
- Shane Warren
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1 August 2025
The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) proudly joins the global community in recognising World Breastfeeding Week (1–7 August), acknowledging not just the physical act of breastfeeding, but the profound emotional, psychological, and social challenges that often accompany early parenthood.
“Breastfeeding can be beautiful, but it can also be lonely, exhausting, and deeply confronting,” said Shane Warren, Chair of VMHPAA. “That’s why we must recognise the importance of mental health support as part of the breastfeeding journey not after, not someday, but from the very beginning.”
This year’s theme, centred around enabling breastfeeding and supporting working parents, reminds us that care for new mothers must extend beyond medical check-ups. Anxiety, identity shifts, sleep deprivation, and self-doubt are common realities that deserve compassionate attention.
Vocationally trained mental health practitioners including counsellors, welfare workers, doulas, and lived experience peer supporters play a vital grassroots role in walking alongside parents through these early and often turbulent months.
“Every mother deserves to be heard, validated, and supported, not judged,” said Susan Sandy, Secretary of VMHPAA and a counsellor with over 20 years of experience supporting families. “Let’s create a culture where seeking help is seen as strength, not failure.”
VMHPAA calls for:
Greater integration of mental health screening and support within maternal and child health services
Recognition and funding of vocational practitioners in community-based perinatal care
Increased awareness of the mental health challenges often hidden behind the image of the ‘perfect mother’
As we celebrate the life-giving power of breastfeeding, let us also commit to nurturing the mental health and emotional resilience of those doing the feeding. Because strong babies need strong mothers, and strong mothers need strong support.
Media Contact:
Shane Warren, Chair
Susan Sandy, Secretary
Philip Armstrong, CEO
VMHPAA
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