PBB Media raises thousands, banks breastmilk to support flood-affected families

A North Coast group has honed in on the very specific needs of pregnant and post-partum women in the wake of the devastating floods which have left thousands without a home.

With a tragedy the scale of the northern New South Wales floods, the scope of help needed in the community is astounding.

A North Coast group behind a baby-focused podcast has honed in on some very specific needs: those of pregnant women – especially those due to give birth soon – and families in the post-partum phase.

PBB Media, the non-profit behind the Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond podcast, has been co-ordinating an effort to support parents and parents-to-be in this time of need.

Oni Blecher said the group already brings together stakeholders in the pregnancy, birth and post-partum arenas.

Ms Blecher said when the floods hit last week, they teamed up with North Coast woman Ella Bancroft and launched a GoFundMe page.

It has raised close to $20,000 so far.

The group has collected a stash of donated breastmilk to support nursing mothers impacted by the floods.

“On the ground, we've been organising different drop-off, pick-up and delivery points for breastmilk donations for mums that have been affected by the floods, not only mums that have lost their homes, mums who might have suffered from inadequate hydration or stress,” she said.

“We’ve successfully got a couple of freezers full of frozen breastmilk and we are distributing that.”

She said it was a vital time to support mothers and babies.

“We really need to be reaching pregnant and immediately-post-partum women,” she said.

She said the group had become a point of call for everything from breast pumps to baby nose syringes: items that may prove priceless to families who have been impacted by the floods.

“The 20,000 is amazing but we could, with the demand at the moment, run out really quickly,” Ms Blecher said.

Ms Blecher said they had been helping people in Mullumbimby, Upper Main Arm, Wilsons Creek, Ballina, Lismore and surrounding areas.

She said the Lismore-based Koori Mail had supported them too; it’s been used as a volunteer hub for their efforts.

“It’s so important,” she said.

“I think the problem is that regardless of natural disasters, there is a big misunderstanding about how these demographics need support anyway.

“Now, people have fully lost their homes and their belongings and they’re in this super tender time.”

She said supporting those families in need would extend to the healthy developments of the infants involved.

“If that’s supported, it creates resilient communities going forward which we‘re going to need,” she said.

She said rather than goods, supporting the GoFundMe page was the best way to help right now.

“The needs and the demands on the ground are changing every day,” she said.