For more information and help Breastfeeding Healthy choices for pregnancy Getting help and information and breastfeeding Local Contact Breastfeeding is good for baby and has lots of benefits. Breastfeeding can: Not drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco and using drugs is the best choice for your baby. Other Protect baby from infection and illness things you can do to stay healthy and grow a Provide baby with healthy food strong baby include: Help baby to grow strong Strengthen bonds with baby Regular check-ups with Alcohol & Drug Support Line your health worker Sometimes women don’t get help because they The Alcohol and Drug Support Line can provide feel shame talking about their alcohol, tobacco information about culturally secure alcohol and STRONG SPIRIT STRONG MIND and other drug use. drug services in your area. They are a confidential, Aboriginal Ways of Reducing Harm 24 hour, statewide telephone counselling, information From Alcohol and Other Drugs Daily exercise or Aboriginal Alcohol and Other Drug Workers, and referral service for anyone concerned about their physical activity Aboriginal Health Workers or other health own or another person’s alcohol or other drug use. Call backs are available. professionals are there to help you. Phone: 9442 5000 or 1800 198 024 (country callers) Lots of sleep and rest They can talk with you about ways to help keep E-mail: [email protected] Strong Babies you and baby strong and healthy. They can help Website: alcoholdrugsupport.mhc.wa.gov.au Alcohol and some drugs pass to the you stop or cut down your use in safe ways. Parent & Family Drug Support Line breastfeeding baby through breastmilk. This It may not be easy to make changes but Confidential, 24 hour, statewide telephone counselling, can cause harm to the baby as it takes about 2 Plenty of your family, friends and other people in your information and referral service for anyone concerned hours for one standard drink of alcohol to leave healthy food community can help and support you. about a loved one’s alcohol or other drug use. Parent a woman’s body. and water callers can speak to a Parent Peer Volunteer with a lived experience of their own son or daughter’s alcohol Drinking or using drugs while breastfeeding can Yarning with grannies, ABORIGINAL SUPPORT SYSTEM or other drug use. Call backs are available. aunties, mums, reduce the amount of milk you produce and Phone: 9442 5050 or 1800 653 203 sisters, cousins and (country callers) make baby sleep less. E-mail: [email protected] friends about how Website: alcoholdrugsupport.mhc.wa.gov.au To lessen the amount of nicotine the baby gets, to keep your baby strong and healthy don’t smoke during feedings, and wait as long Produced by Strong Spirit Strong Mind™ as possible between smoking and breastfeeding. Aboriginal Programs Dads and other family Reducing or stopping your use whilst members can make Government of Western Australia breastfeeding is best for you and your baby. healthy choices too. Mental Health Commission

Artist: Barry McGuire (Mullark). The Aboriginal Inner Spirit Model (Ngarlu Assessment Model) was developed by Joseph ‘Nipper’ Roe, who belonged to the Karajarri and Yawuru people. Illustrations: Patrick Bayly, Workspace Design.

© Mental Health Commission 2019 MHC201902 ABORIGINAL INNER SPIRIT MODEL Alcohol and other drugs can weaken Alcohol and other drugs Research shows that: Smoking your spirit and your connections with family, community and country There is no safe amount of alcohol and If you are pregnant or planning a Quitting cigarettes before or early on in other drug use in pregnancy. pregnancy, not drinking alcohol is the pregnancy provides the greatest benefits for you Our way of being healthy is to look after safest choice for growing a strong baby. and your baby. However, even if you quit at any ourselves by making good choices, and to care If you are breastfeeding, not drinking time during or after your pregnancy, there are for our family, community and country. Alcohol alcohol is the safest choice for growing a benefits for you and baby. and other drugs can tangle and weaken our strong baby. Things you can do to protect spirit and mind. This can affect our emotional, There is no safe level of smoking during yourself and children from smoke: social, spiritual and physical well-being. pregnancy. The safest option for mum and This can weaken our connection to family, baby is for mum not to smoke, or be around Avoid smoke and smoking while community and country. smoke. Not drinking alcohol or using drugs is trying to get pregnant, during There is of drug use whilst important. no safe level pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding. pregnant. When you drink alcohol, so does your baby. Stay away from people who are smoking.

When you use drugs, so does your baby. Stopping or reducing alcohol, tobacco and Keep children and babies away from other drug use during pregnancy will help smoking areas. Our Inner Spirit is the centre of When you smoke, so does your baby. baby grow strong. Don’t smoke in the house or the car. our being and emotions. Alcohol and other drugs can cause health issues, like brain damage and birth defects, Medicines When our spirit feels strong our which could have lifelong impacts for your mind feels strong. baby. When you are pregnant, some Our children need to be born healthy so medicines can be harmful to When our spirit feels tangled they have a strong spirit and a your baby. our mind feels tangled. strong mind. If you are taking medicine, you should ask your Strong Inner Spirit is what keeps people Dads doctor or health care worker if the medication healthy and keeps them connected together. is safe to use during pregnancy or whilst It’s not just up to mums. breastfeeding. Strong Inner Spirit keeps our family strong, Dads are important too and our community strong and our country alive. can make healthy choices Never take any prescription drugs that were not to reduce their alcohol, prescribed for you by your doctor. tobacco and other drug use Have a yarn with your health worker if you to support their partners are worried or would like to know more about If you are buying medicine from the chemist, tell and families. the risks of alcohol, tobacco or other drug use them you are pregnant so that they can check if during pregnancy. the medicine is safe for you and your baby.