Boosting Black Moms' Nursing Success
“Breast is best” is not just a slogan invented by hippies. From a totally scientific POV, breast milk is absolutely the real deal. Thank goodness we have formula, in case a mom can’t or chooses not to breastfeed, but there is no question that formula is just a corporation’s best guess at imitating what Mother Nature has carefully designed over the past… say… million years!
Breast milk has scores of nutrients especially designed for a baby human’s growing body and brains. It is literally alive with antibodies and tons of white blood cells to fight off infection. (In the first days after birth, it even contains as many infection-fighting cells as can be found in our blood!)
For these reasons –and many more—working to increase national breastfeeding rates has been a major U.S. health goal for decades. In fact, it is such an important public initiative that the entire month of August is dedicated every year as National Breastfeeding Month. And, nestled within this month-long celebration is a very important campaign; August 25 through 31 marks the sixth annual Black Breastfeeding Week.
Recent CDC data shows that only 59% of black women have ever breastfed versus 75% of white women. By six months, only 35% of black women are still breastfeeding. That’s a big gap. And it is very important from a public health perspective. Nursing lowers the risk of SIDS by about 50%. That is an urgently needed benefit for African-American babies whose risk of SIDS each year is double or triple that of Caucasians.
Breastfeeding doesn’t just decrease infant mortality rates, it can help prevent other health problems like upper respiratory infections, and Type II Diabetes and childhood obesity, which are more prevalent among black people.
Nursing your baby helps moms, too! Women can significantly lower their risk of ovarian and breast cancer by breastfeeding (and the longer they nurse, the lower the risk).
In the past, black women had a lower risk of breast cancer than white women, but that gap has closed. And that’s extra trouble for women of color because they have a much higher mortality if they do develop breast tumors. The American Cancer Society published the 2012 finding that the risk of dying from this disease is 42% higher in black women over white.
Calming Crying and Getting Sleep Boosts Nursing Success
Persistent crying and exhaustion are the top reasons moms abandon nursing. Studies show that exhausted moms are much more likely to get depressed (which reduces breastfeeding rates by 50%) and to develop creeping doubts about the quality and adequacy of their milk.
That’s why, a personal mission of mine has been helping new parents master the skills needed to calm their baby’s fussies and get more sleep. Over the past 12 years, my Happiest Baby team has trained thousands of educators in dozens of countries to teach new parents the soothing/sleep techniques called the 5 S’s. These five simple steps include swaddling, the side/stomach position, shushing, swinging and sucking (described in the video/book, The Happiest Baby on the Block). They often quickly reduce infant crying, boost sleep, and even promote parental confidence and breastfeeding success.
Our educators work in programs supporting women of color all across the US, from regular hospitals to military bases to teen parent clinics to WIC programs. And for several years, Happiest Baby classes have been taught in New York City’s Harlem Children’s Zone (the nation’s preeminent model for breaking the cycle of poverty) as part of their Baby College and Father Support curriculum.
But all of this good work, of which I am so proud, is not enough. There are many other reasons we need to help support and promote #BlackBreastfeedingWeek, like cultural disparities, not enough diversity among leaders in the lactation field, and a lack of support within communities (more on this can be found on the Black Breastfeeding Week website), and the fact that black moms are nine times more likely to be offered formula by hospitals than white moms (according to Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, assistant professor of psychology at Chapman University, co-author of the study “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Breastfeeding”).
Where Black Moms Can Get Breastfeeding Advice
New mamas, from the beginning of time and from all parts of the world, have relied on family/community support to succeed at breastfeeding their children. While moms can look to their experienced friends or doctors for support, there are also professional breastfeeding consultants who can help, and organizations like La Leche League (LLL) who have lots information and can help you find a local group near you. There are also organizations specifically dedicated to reducing racial disparities in breastfeeding like Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association. And, additional support is available to low income mothers from the national Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
Fortunately, through the dedicated work of many public and private agencies, the separation is shrinking. From 2000 to 2008, breastfeeding among African-Americans increased from 47% to 59% and nursing for at least 6 months in that population has more than doubled (increasing from 17% to 35%).
That is great news for babies. But, we cannot declare victory, yet. We need to continue increasing the support black moms get in the hospital, the doctor’s office, the workplace, and the community until we totally close the gap.
Please help spread the word!
Happiest Baby will be raising awareness all week on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Follow us and share your thoughts and photos in the comments section of our #blackbreastfeedingweek posts. We’d love to hear from you… and celebrate your breastfeeding successes or help with any questions or concerns!