I always knew when I had my children that I would breastfeed them. I witnessed my mother doing so with my siblings, so it seemed perfectly natural to follow in her footsteps (and I knew I’d be unhappy heating up bottles every few hours, especially in the middle of the night). Unfortunately, nursing doesn’t come easy for everyone, and I learned the hard way that breastfeeding support for Black women was sorely lacking, especially in my community. This was especially true after I had my second child following a breast reduction and had a difficult time nursing. I eventually found help from a lactation consultant, in the South Bronx, where I lived at the time, but quickly realized not every woman of color gets the education, encouragement, or resources to breastfeed after giving birth.
I learned the hard way that breastfeeding support for Black women was sorely lacking, especially in my community.
The question is, why?
In the United States, Black women have the lowest breastfeeding rates of any racial group and they breastfeed for the shortest amount of time. A 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Black women are less likely to breastfeed than white women (75 percent of white mothers breastfeed in some capacity, while only 58.9 percent of Black mothers do). Their findings suggest many factors contribute to the lower numbers, one of them being a lack of diversity among lactation consultants.
While my nursing days are long over, I still encounter Black women who wished someone would have advocated for them. Maybe they would have tried to breastfeed instead of taking the formula routinely given to new mothers of color. I asked Simone Toomer, who has a laundry list of credentials including certified lactation/breastfeeding counselor and La Leche League leader, her thoughts on why Black and Brown women aren’t encouraged to nurse their children.
In the United States, Black women have the lowest breastfeeding rates of any racial group and they breastfeed for the shortest amount of time.
“There has always been a stigma around POCs breastfeeding. Until this day, we are often oversexualized and shamed for nursing in public spaces,” she says. “As time went on, breastfeeding was seen as the poor thing to do, and if you could afford formula you would use it, further separating us from the innate wisdom we had of our body and our children’s needs. We are the only mammal that looks to others’ milk as a nutrition source.”
Rose St. Fleur, MD, is a fellow at both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. She’s a board-certified lactation consultant and the medical director of the Center for Breastfeeding, which provides support for mothers, infants, and families. St. Fleur also shared insight on the lack of nursing support for Black/Brown women. “Sadly, there continues to be widespread belief that Black mothers do not want to breastfeed. The reasons I have heard are almost too numerous to count, but they range from cultural reasons to the perceived notion that being Black alone is difficult enough, and breastfeeding is an ‘unneeded’ additional stressor.” She also explained that women who don’t want to nurse inadvertently justify reasons for agencies to not provide education to those who do want the experience—which is a perfect explanation of how racially disparate care can occur.
While August is National Breastfeeding Month, August 25–31 marks the seventh annual Black Breastfeeding Week. The 2020 theme is “Revive. Restore. Reclaim!” and this year’s virtual events and activities include mini-grant awards, Boppy nursing pillow giveaways, and live discussions, webinars, and tutorials. If you are seeking resources and support for your breastfeeding journey, the following groups provide a wealth of information and assistance for women of color.
We are the only mammal that looks to others’ milk as a nutrition source.
Black Moms Breastfeeding Support Group is a Facebook community with more than 76,000 members. It also has a support group for dads.
Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association is a Detroit-based nonprofit organization with a mission to provide education, resources, and support to families of color and the public/private agencies that service them.
Chocolate Milk Café has nine locations (Boston will soon become the 10th). Its mission is to provide a safe space where families can be encouraged and empowered to breastfeed as long as possible. Virtual meetings are listed on the website.
Mater Mea contains a plethora of information on over a dozen nursing support networks across the nation.
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