By Kimberly Seals Allers
It’s World Breastfeeding Week””an annual campaign, organized by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, where over 170 countries worldwide pay attention to our breasts and their power to give us stronger, healthier babies.
And every year, around this time, I start to question why more black women aren’t breastfeeding. It seems that somehow we’ve lost our way. For over 30 years, African-American women have had the lowest breastfeeding rates, and though the numbers have increased somewhat in recent years, black moms still have the lowest rates of all ethnicities. And when it comes to the gold standard of infant nutrition””six months of exclusive breastfeeding, among African Americans the rate is only 20% compared to 40% among whites.
Some of these forces have been brewing for decades. To get to the bottom of the mater, I started to delve back. Wayyy back. Truth is, a long time ago, black women were notorious for nursing. In fact, slave owners used and purchased black women as wet nurses for their own children, often forcing these mothers to stop nursing their own infants to care for others. “On the one hand, wet nursing claimed the benefits of breastfeeding for the offspring of white masters while denying or limiting those health advantages to slave infants. On the other hand, wet nursing required slave mothers to transfer to white offspring the nurturing and affection they should have been able to allocate to their own children,” writes historian Wilma A. Dunaway, in the book The African American Family in Slavery and Emancipation, published by Cambridge University Press. And since breastfeeding reduces fertility, slave owners forced black women to stop breastfeeding early so that they could continue breeding, often to the health detriment of their own infants, Dunaway writes.
But there’s more to our story than a stunted and complex breastfeeding experience at the hands of slave owners hundreds of years ago, though many may argue that some vestiges of slavery still exist in the mindset of the black community””perhaps some historical trauma. Or an insidious thinking that breastfeeding is something we did for others and not ourselves.
Years later, aggressive marketing by the formula companies in the 1930s and 40s made formula feeding the choice of the elite, “the substance for sophisticates” “”white or black. And who doesn’t want to be like the rich and famous. That marketing continues to this day, down to the formula company-sponsored bag of goodies you probably received on the way out of the hospital. Then there’s something I call the National Geographic factor””that is, most of the images we see of black women breastfeeding are semi-naked women in Africa whose lives seem so far away from our modern, African American lifestyle and experience.
Whateever the reason, with the infant and maternal mortality rates climbing to catastrophic levels in our community, both black mothers and black babies need the protective health benefits of breastfeeding. According to the CDC, black babies are twice as likely as white infants to die before their first birthday. A 2001 study in Pediatrics concluded that an increase in African-American breastfeeding rates alone could reduce this disparity.
Recently, I was honored to be named an IATP Food & Community Fellow with a special mandate to increase access and awareness of the “first food” in our community, particularly through my work as founder of www.MochaManual.com, a parenting and lifestyle destination for black moms. To do so, I am on a mission. And I need your help.
How can we get more black women to breastfeed? I’m looking for your suggestions. Please leave a comment here.
Our babies need this.
Kimberly Seals Allers is a leading authority on issues relating to mothers of color, author of The Mocha Manualâ„¢ series of books and founder of www.MochaManual.com, a daily parenting and lifestyle destination and blog for African American moms. An award-winning journalist, Kimberly is also popular public speaker and consultant on the mom of color market, and fiercely committed to the fight to reduce the high infant and maternal mortality rates and increase the low breastfeeding rates in the African American community. In 2011, she was named an IATP Food & Community Fellow focused on increasing awareness and access to “the first food”””breast milk and she serves as an advisory board member of the Bravado Breastfeeding Information Council.
Denise says
Very thoughtful piece, Kimberly. But every time I hear these studies say “black women don’t breastfeed” I wonder exactly who they’re polling. Every… and I mean EVERY black mother in my circle breastfed their children and nobody ever asked us a thing. I’m all for promoting what’s best for our children in our communities, but I think we need to look not just at race, but socio-economic factors that affect these breastfeeding rates. Low-income mothers tend to have lower BF rates than middle class women do, and of course we’re aware of the wealth gap that still exists b/w whites and non-whites. I think we need to be especially precise in our efforts to reach the right people with the right information.
Anonymous says
I agree with Kathy…but from a larger perspective, I’m very involved in holistic and preventive health in my family and am wondering if we, Black people, demonstrate ANY proactive health behaviors as a collective? I pay attention but even among my peers who are well-educated, professional, sophisticated, high-inncome, yadda yadda, I am generally mocked and laughed at EXCEPT when they call me on the low for a natural remedy for something that’s bothering them, LOL. I know many Black mothers who breastfeed so another relevant question is: who’s collecting the stats and how do they quantify this assertion?
Tara Pringle says
I think a lot has to do with our older relatives. I still remember visiting my grandmother (my idol) and breastfeeding my four-month-old and she kind of wrinkled her nose and told me that I should stop because my daughter was getting chunky and she was old enough to take formula. It was…weird. I thought my grandma would have been the biggest cheerleader but she wasn’t. My mom was a breastfeeding Nazi. When I was pregnant, she was shoving literature at me and telling me how to prepare and encouraging me to never, never give up. LOL.
Mshawkins55 says
I nursed my girls 11 ad 23 months ( I had my girls at ages 34 and 42). Many sister are turned off because it feels “sexual” like their man and they are uncomfortable. They are uncomfortable talking about and may find resentment from Mother’s ,aunts etc as I did. I called La Leche League, the oldest breastfeeding organization. My coach was wonderful in dealing with my Mother who deeply resented my breastfeeding and guiding me through the process. Yes, it is a process because you run into different issues the longer you nurse.
Also, economically many women cannot take off work. I encourage then to take whatever time off they have even if two weeks ad use that time to build up their supply and then pump. The baby is still getting the benefit of the greatest food source on earth.
Melanie says
I think the lack of black women who breast feed are mostly low-income, who are note educated about the benefits. The formula companies, play on them and they only learn from word of mouth instead of getting the facts. Many young girls I know talk to me about how painful it is, and not understanding that it benefits the mother and child. I feel that educated women, should do a better job of educating those who are not as well informed, instead of just talking about them. It is our responsibility to help our women. Especially, the young women.
Ronnie_BMWK says
I am wondering who they are surveying also. No one has asked me if I breastfed…but I did breastfeed 3 of 4 of my kids and so did my sister (she breastfed all 4 of her kids.)
My mother was not a breastfeeding advocate either…she did not understand why I was doing it.
To answer your question, we will have to promote the benefits of breastfeeding to young women. Perhaps programs should be put in place to give out free breast pumps and breast pads and literature. Perhaps a breastfeeding hotline to help and encourage distraught mothers that are on the verge of quitting.
Wendy Quarker says
I think educating mothers, especially young mothers, is KEY! Along with more discussion and ENCOURAGEMENT in the community. Mothers need to know that it’s OKAY to breast feed and their know their rights as a breast feeding mother. It’s ironic that our community seems very comfortable with breasts being used to attract versus our breasts being used to nurture. Unfortunately, there have been many factors that have severed the nurturing bond we should have with the youth in our community, beginning at their very birth. Tackling this issue requires that we tackle the things that are holding mothers back:
1. Lack of Education
2. Fear of Embarrassment
3. Lack of Support – (Emotional or Financial for pumps, bags, bras, carriers, etc.)
4. Lack of Resources – (Discussion with mothers who know the ups and downs, what Mastitis is, Thrush, or other issues that may arise)
5. Lack of Exercising their rights as abreast feeding mother once educated.
With my first child I breast feed and did formula. After 2 months, it was formula only. Why? Because I didn’t know enough about the process and I was afraid I would starve my baby, lol. With my second child, I was ready! I breast feed her exclusively for a year, which may have been too long but I DID IT!
I hope all mothers who are able to, will choose breastfeed first. I believe its benefits, far out weigh the alternative.
Good Luck and God Bless – Wendy Quarker
Martha A. Snowden says
A year isn’t too long at all , In most parts of the world women breastfeed for far longer. I nursed my daughter until she was 3 and a half , my son I nursed a few months because of meds I needed but I am all set to nurse my twins into their toddling yrs.
Susan Eizenga says
Interesting post.
Well, here is my two-cents as a white breastfeeding mom.
I think the best thing we as women can do to “normalize” breastfeeding is to do it. Nurse when your baby wants to wherever you are. I didn’t get support from my mother in law for my decision to breastfeed my first. But she never said a negative thing as I breastfed my second. In my opinion, it’s about becoming familiar with a non-sexual use of the breast. I don’t think it will be a quick win, but I do think that over time, all Americans will be more comfortable with breastfeeding and ultimately more likely to breastfeed their own if they see and hear about friends, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers around town nursing their babies. Nestle didn’t get this ingrained into American life in a year or even a decade.
Thanks for being part of the solution!
Cardenie says
Honestly, I think it has more to do with class, with race being incidental. Formula feeding was, like the article mentioned, the thing to do if you were “elite” and not poor, because it costs money. So in time, formula just became the norm for everyone. I think change will only come one generation at a time. It’s pretty difficult to change someone’s cultural imprint.
Meccanaje says
I breasfed both my children when I was very poor and had nothing so where are you polling???I know many African American mom’s that have and are breastfeeding now…I also know that there isn’t much help for young mothers that want to try on Long Island and in NYC!! In Atlanta I received an abundance of help…so maybe the South is better at understanding and helping!
mochazina says
formula feeding the choice of the elite, “the substance for sophisticates†—white or black.
^^^^^THIS^^^^^
I think as the “natural” movement gains traction, we will again recognize the BOLD FACE LIES of big businesses’ advertisements in this area.
ALSO: Big ups to the gubmint for the free breast pumps guidelines! 😀
Jahsmom28 says
I am the mother of three children 8 years, 5 years and 11 months old. I breastfed each one of them and am still currently feeding my baby. I think the benefits far outweigh the downside. I believe that many women either quit or don’t breastfeed because they have to return to work. Pumping is just not that easy with certain jobs. Eventhough there are laws to protect nursing mothers, it can become a job in itself trying to pump out milk in a short break. However, the fact that you lose weight, don’t have to get up and fix bottles, save money from buying formula, a less likely chance your child will have tummy aches while creating such a bond with your child are more than enough for one to give a try. Many women also stop because it takes some getting used to (it can be painful if not done right) and some don’t make it past bootcamp (the first 2-3 weeks). Learning to breatfeed properly will help them eliminate some of the soreness they might encounter. I am grateful that a class I took while pregnant with my first child helped me and the continued support was a huge help.
Anonymous says
Blaming slavery for every-little-thing does not help your argument at all. You have to first look at current family structure. Unlike the post-slavery days, we are seeing more and more young girls getting pregnant than ever before. Many of these girls come out of families that are in most cases already lacking a mother or father, leaving them to learn motherhood on the fly. Low breastfeeding rates is just one of the many results of what happens when their is no solid community structure as we once had so many years ago.
VICTORIA says
BOTTOM LINE: MANY BLACK WOMEN ARE POOR AND RECIEVE SOMETHING CALLED WIC(FREE VOUCHERS FOR BABY FORMULA). IT’S FREE AND IT MAKES THE CHOICE OF NOT BREASTFEEDING VERY EASY.
Anonymous says
I agree with most folks, education is the key.
Also, I don’t see too many women of color joining groups such as Leche League. When my wife attended, most of the women were white and well to do. We need more women of color to join these organizations, or create ones, that go out and encourage women to breastfeed.
As many births and hospitals i visited, I don’t see nurses or doctors encouraging breastfeeding. They quickly offer formulas. That’s where we need to be to encourage our friends and family.
I do notice that on the news, we see like this huge backlash against women who nurse in public. We have to fight that as well, it is a women’s right to nurse where she pleases if the baby is hungry.
To blame slavery, is a long shot because the decline in breastfeeding happened almost 100 hundred years after slavery.
Also to say that its a class thing is also not true. Go to the store and see how much formula costs. Also see how much it costs if the child is lactose intolerant. It’s expensive. Nursing is way cheaper. While its true that programs such as WIC provides subsidies but how much does a new baby drink? its not enough.
Its more marketing from corporations, public stigma against breastfeeding, and a lack of support from the community.
Aja Dorsey Jackson says
In addition to education, I think that the one thing that gets left out often in conversations about why more women don’t breastfeed also has to do with socioeconomic factors that make that choice much more difficult. I was fortunate with my son to be in a family friendly work environment that made it easy for me to pump and was able to nurse him for more than 6 months, but when I was a young, single, mother working in a call center with 15 minute breaks–while I was able to keep it up for 3 months, the work environment wasn’t supportive at all of my efforts. Many lower income women also don’t have the option to take maternity leave for long enough to solidly establish breastfeeding due the pay cut or lack of pay.
Because of this I think that breastfeeding has become more popular among women who a) are at a household income level where they can stay home, at least partially or b) Have enough education/income to have more work options and can choose to work at companies that are supportive of breastfeeding. Education is definitely a huge part, but it can only go so far if the rest of society does not also become more supportive.
tt says
People are so so judgmental. Its all personal choice ladies. I did not breastfeed either one of my children, and I am a college educated woman and we are a middle class family. Both of my children are intelligent and rarely got sick when they were young and hardly ever get sick now. In fact my son is in the 11th grade and has missed 3 days of school his enitre school career.
Fela says
Healthy men and women in a committed relationship of growth can definitely increase breastfeeding their babies by the women first breastfeeding her Man & then the baby ?
It really works & is great for the whole family!! ?