Various studies have declared breastfeeding as one of the most effective methods to establish proper health and vitality of an infant child; however, the World Health Organization reports less than half of infants under 6 months old are wholly breastfed. Despite the numbers, studies prove breastfeeding has tremendous benefits for nursing mothers and babies, particularly when sustained over longer periods.
According to the National Library of Medicine, less than 30% of Black American children are still breastfed by their first birthday despite recommendations to continue lactation two years post-birth. A deeper look behind comparatively lower breastfeeding rates of Black mothers reveals distinctive hindrances discouraging long-term breastfeeding, along with increased risk of health issues for both mother and child.
“Many Black American women don’t initiate breastfeeding, so it’s not even that they don’t continue it, [many] don’t even start with it. Black infants are more likely to be offered formula when they’re still in the hospital because there is an assumption that Black women are less likely to breastfeed, and so they make formula more available to them,” explained Abayea Pelt, senior director of Maternal and Child Health for Community of Hope. “Black women historically in this country have been separated from their infants in a lot of different ways because they had to be in a domestic environment, or they are returning to work quickly, and so that has all led to lower rates of breastfeeding overall for Black women.”
“The golden hour” to begin breastfeeding a newborn, experts say, is at birth, as it sets the perfect environment for bonding and attachment, while stabilizing all of the baby’s vital signs, particularly through skin-to-skin breastfeeding where the mother holds the baby up to their chest with minimal clothing on the upper part of the mother and child’s bodies.
Helping to guide a mother’s breastfeeding journey, doulas or midwives in environments akin to family medical spaces such as Community of Hope or Mamatoto Village, are also extremely instrumental in encouraging mothers to consider breastfeeding while providing a line of support for any potential issues that may arise after giving birth.
La’Shelle Manning, MPH, certified lactation specialist of Mamatoto Village, highlights the significant difference in dynamics for mothers and children in birthing centers, versus hospital spaces.
Hospital settings typically pose different challenges as mothers are bombarded with various paperwork, often allotting for very brief contact with lactation [services], if at all.
Similarly, newborns experience the rush of numerous hands touching them and running tests, taking away from quiet moments to adjust to being “earth side” and existing in a completely new environment. The pandemonium of this experience often creates difficulties in babies’ stabilizing temperature, and blood pressure among other things, let alone forming a stable breastfeeding cycle as needed.
Manning’s personal experience with clients provides her opportunity to learn the needs of expecting mothers from as early as 16 weeks into their pregnancy, inspiring a strong net of support to facilitate an ongoing breastfeeding experience.
“In the ‘Mothers Rising Program,’ mothers are referred to Mamatoto’s Village through their primary care providers or insurers. Having a one-on-one, especially when I’m able to be in the community with them, or in the home with moms, I can see the landscape of the household and the relationship with the mom, or the relationship with family,” Manning explained. “[I learn] how well she is supported, and how those things may be impacting her breastfeeding journey so I can support her by eliminating some of those barriers, as well as, of course, facilitating the skills that she needs along with breastfeeding.”
One of the major discrepancies mothers face when struggling to produce breast milk or find a steady rhythm to provide those moments with their children is the stressful pressure to return to work due to a lack of financial support after having their child. Even today, more than a billion women internationally are not given critical maternal protections in national laws.
Manning emphasized the significant work necessary to help put working mothers in a stable position to foster the long-term emotional bonding of breastfeeding that renders innumerable medical and behavioral benefits for mothers and children.
“A lot of the major chronic illnesses that we suffer from in the United States are reduced by breastfeeding, and that includes obesity, heart disease, breast cancers, and uterine cancers for moms, and asthma for babies. These are things that people struggle with through childhood and adulthood,” Manning told the Informer. “And so breastfeeding helps set up both the mom and baby for a better position. It’s really like creating healthier communities, individuals, and a healthier society. The more people that are breastfed, the less people will have to depend on the medical system.”