Research shows Māori breastfeeding app is a resounding success

Research just released on the effectiveness of a Māori breastfeeding app as a resource for mothers couldn’t have come at a better time - it’s World Breastfeeding Week.

The Mama Aroha app was created two years ago, and has been downloaded by more than 12,000 people in New Zealand.

The research was led by Felicity Ware for Auckland health provider Hāpai Te Hauora, with surveys of Māori mothers and health professionals.

“This is the only app created by Māori to encourage whānau to breastfeed because it’s important. It has also been created by Māori women so it’s only right to acknowledge them,” Ware said.

“They are experts in digital resources like apps and wanted a more advanced digital app. Another idea was to create a chatbot for breastfeeding mums to converse with. Being able to find other breastfeeding mothers online to talk to, especially during the night when breastfeeding can become difficult.”

Mama Aroha app creator, Amy Wray (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa) says two years ago she wanted a breastfeeding resource for women who had no access to advice from a health professional during the Covid lockdown.

“The original content behind that was to create a resource that was able to address some of the issues that I was seeing as a mum who was breastfeeding and also working in the community with Māori wāhine,” Wray says.

“You can see the benefits of this resource from this app that is heavily used by families at home, in the community and also health professionals,” Ware says.

“Traditionally, for Māori, breastfeeding was natural. It was a way of life; it was a way of passing on our whakapapa or our DNA and it was considered a cultural practice that the whole village supported and strengthened,” Wray says.