When The Village Pulls Together – ABA Training

Last Sunday I attended my very first training weekend with the Australian Breastfeeding Association.

I didn’t want to go. Sundays are important to my family and I don’t give them up easily. I went along to the training day begrudgingly and was prepared for a complete drag of a day.

Here are some of the special things that I was a part of last Sunday:
– rearranging a table of a dozen or so women so the ladies with babies in prams could sit with their prams next to them, instead of on the other side of the room
– swapping chairs with a lady who had hearing trouble so she was able to sit closest to the trainers
– seeing everyone rally around a mum who spoke English as a second language after she confessed that she felt inadequate during a brainstorm session
– everyone taking it in turns to hold babies so everyone had a turn to eat, drink, write and pee
– watching a trainer settle an unsettled baby to sleep, and then hold him for his entire nap because his mum said he usually woke when he was put into the pram
– mums working while wearing babies in slings and carriers
– a dad or two looking after their kids at the venue, striking a balance between letting mum work, but also being near enough in case her kids needed to breastfeed
– cups of tea and coffee being brought over to anyone who looked too busy to get their own
– a few sneaky boxes of chocolates doing the rounds while everyone was working

The Girl Guides attended. The young ladies stayed outside minding kids with some toys and equipment. But there was also a small pop-up tent with toys set up inside in case any kids needed a quiet space.  The senior Girl Guides catered our event, and put out a feast fit for royalty. They even included ingredient lists for some of the dishes, for those who had specific dietary requirements.

Lots of organisations SAY they are inclusive and family-friendly, but this was the first time I had experienced it myself.  It was beautiful.

If you’ve ever avoided going to an ABA training day, don’t. My day was productive (assessments for 2 units have now been sent to head office, and I have the RPL paperwork ready to submit so I can transition from the old course to the new one) but the highlight was seeing an actual village pulling together. Study with small kids can feel utterly impossible, but with this kind of support, anything can happen!

If you are interested in training with the Australian Breastfeeding Association, you can find more information on their website at https://breastfeeding.asn.au