Yarning about breastfeeding

Sonniya Barney
Gunditjmara | Bunjalung | Lardil
Sonniya is a proud Gunditjmara/Bunjalung/Lardil woman living
in Melbourne. A mother of two, three year old son Jarran and
five month old daughter Naira, Sonniya breastfed Jarran until
he was two years old and plans to do the same with Naira.
Sonniya chose to breastfeed because of the health benefits
for babies and also the bonding and nurturing that comes
with breastfeeding.
Sonniya
As I was growing up I seen a lot of parents who formula fed
and breastfed their babies. I can remember watching my
Aunties and older cousins openly breastfeed their babies.
I also seen how breastfeeding can become normal when
watching others around you do it and believe it’s quite normal
in my family and Community. I remember being little and me
and my cousins would pretend to breastfeed our baby dolls,
as it was normal to us at a young age.
I really think that being able to have the people that were
close to me breastfeeding their own babies motivated me
to do the same. I have loads of support from my family when
it comes to breastfeeding. They are always there to offer me
advice whenever I need it.
My partner, Eli, is also very supportive and has a positive
attitude towards breastfeeding that helps me feel more
confident. It’s important to have a partner that makes you feel
good about breastfeeding and doesn’t make you feel shame.
I found that the midwives at the Victorian Aboriginal Health
Service (VAHS) were very helpful and supportive. They
were able to provide me with resources and advice about
breastfeeding, which was and still is very useful. I did find some
breastfeeding information on the internet but I mainly spoke
with the midwives at VAHS as I found the service more useful.