Group home
Welcome to Illawarra Group!
Come along and meet new friends. Chat with mums who have 'been there' and connect with our local breastfeeding counsellors and educators.
ABA groups offer a non-judgmental, supportive atmosphere to all mums and their families to share the frustrations and the joys of parenting, and access accurate information about babies and breastfeeding.
We support all families. Mums who are mixed-feeding, bottle feeding, exclusively expressing or not breastfeeding are always welcome. We chat in a relaxed setting and there is often access to a breastfeeding counsellor or educator who can assist you with any breastfeeding questions, worries or issues you may be having.
Are you expecting a baby? Breastfeeding Preparation Sessions run weekly during the evenings or at weekends. We encourage you to book in if you are pregnant and wanting to learn more about breastfeeding before your baby arrives.
What we offer
We provide support for parents/carers and their support people throughout their parenting journey. Each month we will discuss a topic and parents/carers and their support people can bring their own questions to ask. Everyone is welcome at ABA.
Where we are
We meet at Figtree Sports (near the coffee shop), the 4th Tuesday of every month. We cover the area from Helensburgh to Gerrigong.
Breastfeeding drop-in
Your questions and concerns about breastfeeding answered by our local breastfeeding counsellors.
Info & Chat
Learn more about breastfeeding and parenting. Speakers can include a breastfeeding educator, health professional or a mum with lived experience.
Can I still come to local group events if...
Yes! Attending meetings while you're pregnant is a great way to see mums breastfeeding and learn more about it. Many of us nowadays don't have much experience with babies until we have our own, so we need all the help we can get!
You might also like to check out our popular breastfeeding education classes.
Yes! You don't need to be having problems with breastfeeding or anything else to come along and enjoy some interesting conversation and connect with local mums. It’s not just about getting Information and support. Our regular attendees keep coming along because it’s fun to be part of our local group.
Yes! ABA meet-ups are more than a new parents' group. There are babies and children of different ages so you're not competing over who's child reaches the next milestone first/sleeps longest/gains weight fastest. Instead, you get to see children older than yours and know what's ahead for you. Plus you can see how far your baby has come every time a newborn comes along. It really helps to get a broad perspective.
Our local group activities are also more than just a playgroup or a coffee catch up. You get to have a conversation with another adult while your child plays. You also have access to information about raising children and can chat to a breastfeeding counsellor or educator.
Yes, as long as you don't mind seeing others breastfeed. We know that sometimes things don't work out as you’d planned. We have members who are exclusively breastfeeding, pumping and bottle feeding, mixed feeding, and exclusively formula feeding.
Everyone is welcome: no judgement, no competitions, no 'alpha parents'. We're all in this together.
Yes! Mums don't stop needing support once their child is mobile or starts walking!
Yes! ABA Local Group events are open to everyone. We just ask that you ‘sign-in’ using the QR provided to you by the group leader. This will give you access to free, ongoing Introductory ABA membership.
Joining ABA as a financial member provides us with much needed funding to continue to support mums, parents and families in the community.
Can't make it to local group events? ABA Virtual Village is just a click away!
Become an ABA member and get involved with your local group as a volunteer
Details
Calendar
Breast pump hire
We are not currently offering breast pump hire. Please search the map to check availability of pumps in nearby groups.