Group home
Welcome to the Wimmera Mallee Group!
Come along and meet new friends. Chat with mums who have 'been there' and connect with our local breastfeeding counsellors and educators.
Our local group offers 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.
What we offer
Distance prevents easy travelling to group discussions face-to-face, so we meet virtually, mostly using Facebook - Australian Breastfeeding Association Western Victoria Group.
We have a great group library. Our librarian Bec, has placed some of the books in the Horsham MCHN centre.
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.
Partners, friends and grandparents are also welcome long babies and children of all ages. So if you’ve never been to our group before (or it’s been a while since your last visit), why not come along and say hello? We’d love to see you!
Where we are
Our group area is geographically very large, covering a big chunk of the western part of Victoria, hence our name. The main centres are Ararat, Stawell, Horsham, Rainbow, Edenhope, Cohuna.
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.
Find out more
Can I still come to local group events if...
Yes! Attending group activities while you're pregnant is a great way to see other women 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 there’s no competition over whose child reaches the next milestone first/sleeps longest/gains weight fastest. Instead, you get to see children older than yours and find out what's ahead for you. You can also see how far your baby has come every time a newborn arrives. 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 or prefer to catch-up online? 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
Breast pump hire
Our group hires electric breast pumps for you to express milk for your baby. ABA members receive a 50% discount on pump hire. Not a member yet? No problem, it's easy to join and access your discount.
Hiring pumps through ABA
All breast pumps for hire are hospital-grade. They are available for short-term or long-term hire.
Both the Ardo Carum and Ardo Calypso breast pumps are endorsed by the Australian Breastfeeding Association. Ardo is in full compliance with the International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes (WHO Code).
When hiring through your local ABA group you get an initial consultation to work out the best options for you and information on how to maximise your expressed milk and how to store it safely. You can contact your breast pump hire officer for more help along the way if you need it. All funds raised through breast pump hire go towards supporting your local group.
Breast pump hire is run by dedicated volunteer breastfeeding counsellors and educators who provide the service from their homes. As busy mums with work and family commitments, we ask for your understanding if we are unable to respond as promptly as you desire. There are many families wanting to hire pumps so there are often times when all local pumps are already hired out.
Breast pump hire contacts
To check breast pump availability, check the table below or call our breast pump hire officer. If no pumps are available locally check the map for pumps available in nearby groups
Our group owns a Medela Symphony, which has its home in the Barwon Region. Please ring our counsellors below and we can see what can be arranged. If you are interested in long-term hire (that is more than a month's hire), we can discuss the logistics with you.
| Location | Contact |
| Horsham |
Katie: 03 5382 4010 |
| Portland |
Pixie: 03 5523 7460 |
Weekly hire rates
Katie: 03 5382 4010
Pixie: 03 5523 7460
Milk collection kit
You will also need a milk collection kit to connect to the pump you hire. If you do not already have one, you can buy the kit when you hire a pump. Costs vary from time to time – ask your ABA breast pump hire officer for current prices.
COVID-19 health measures for pump hiring
Our guidelines for interactions with families and the cleaning of our pumps include:
- the ABA Breast Pump Hiring Officer being well and not having been in contact with anyone who is sick
- options for completing paperwork and payment online
- collecting/returning the breast pump from/to the ABA Breast Pump Hiring Officer’s doorstep
- stringent cleaning of returned pumps (Please note that it is standard practice that all mothers hiring our pumps are required to purchase their own milk collection kit which is available to buy at the time of hiring.)
- getting breastfeeding and pumping support via telephone on the Breastfeeding Helpline 1800 686 268
- accessing information on expressing from our website.