Instead of texting, call. There’s a new study that suggests moms who actually call their other mom friends have a better chance of succeeding in their breastfeeding journeys. That’s because regular phone calls between first-time moms and their mom friends help boost nursing success.

According to a study conducted by La Trobe University, in association with the Royal Women's Hospital's Ringing Up about Breastfeeding Early (RUBY) regular phone calls between mom friends help encourage those looking for a little boost in self-confidence, especially when it comes to nursing.

The study, led by Professor Della Forster from La Trobe's Judith Lumley Center and the Royal Women's Hospital, found that moms who reached out for emotional support while breastfeeding their baby had a better chance of being successful in their nursing goals. The researchers used more than 1000 new mothers for their study along with 230 women with breastfeeding experience as volunteers. The moms recently rang into their telephone support peers to ask questions, chat, or simply find comfort whenever they felt the need to reach out to someone.

The results turned out to be overwhelmingly positive. Over 75 percent of mothers who regularly called in were able to breastfeed their children for up to six months. The statistics were compared to that of moms who reach out to care groups instead. In that group, 69 percent of moms were able to breastfeed their children during the first six months of their lives.

Professor Forster said in a statement, “At the end of the two-year trial we compared breastfeeding rates across both groups and found mother-to-mother proactive telephone support was an effective way to increase breastfeeding among first-time mothers.”

The study also proved that having someone to talk to – especially someone who has been trained to listen and be empathetic – are more likely to work harder towards their goal than to give up.

Dr. Forster added, “If applied to Australia's annual birth rate, a six percent increase would translate to at least 180,000 more infants being breastfed for at least six months - thereby reaping all the associated benefits."

Luckily, breastfeeding rates continue to rise in the United States and all over the world. Statistics show that about 79 percent of moms plan to breastfeed their newborn babies, with about half of that amount continuing on past the six-month mark. About 27 percent of mothers breastfeed for 12 months or longer.

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