DR. RODRIGUEZ-SIUTS: SCOTTSDALE PSYCHOLOGIST I THERAPIST I COUNSELOR IN WOMEN'S HEALTH
  • Home
  • About
  • Therapy Services
    • Prenatal and Postpartum Therapy
    • Reproductive Mental Health Therapy
    • General Maternal Mental Health
  • Patient Info
    • Patient Forms
    • Rates & Insurance
    • FAQ
    • Useful Therapeutic Apps
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Patient Portal

Racial Disparities Exist in Breastfeeding Rates for Black Moms

2/22/2021

0 Comments

 
By: Shanicia Boswell | August 26, 2020
"​Raising awareness about the history of Black breastfeeding and the factors that contribute to low rates of Black mothers breastfeeding is an important way to close the gap."
Picture
CREDIT: YEYO PHOTOGRAPHY
"I sat on the sofa crying silently between my mother and my fiancé. Tears spilled over my cheeks as we watched a movie and I held my newborn daughter. I was three days postpartum and my breasts were painfully engorged with milk. How was this happening? I had survived a med-free labor and delivery. This was supposed to be the easy part. Looking back nearly eight years ago at my breastfeeding journey, I always remember this day. I was a first-generation breastfeeder.

​
That day and many other days, I sat between people I loved the most and felt completely alone and isolated. My partner could not help me with breastfeeding because he was a man who had no experience around breastfeeding. My mother could not help me because she had not breastfed me or my brother. My friends could not help me because I was the only one in my friendship circle who had a baby. Like many Black millennial women, I was embarking on this journey alone.

​Without the proper resources, my breastfeeding journey only lasted six months. I felt defeated. In fact, the statistics show that Black women are less likely to start breastfeeding than any other race of mother and even less likely to continue breastfeeding for six months. Only 69 percent of Black women initiate breastfeeding compared to 85 percent of white women. The question that is often asked after hearing statistics is why? There are many reasons. There are unfortunate events deeply connected to our race as a people: a history of wet nursing, oversexualization, lack of economic and familial support, are a few. For me, the question became how do we raise the numbers?

This is where Black Breastfeeding Week comes in. Black Breastfeeding Week is August 25 to 31, 2020, and is a campaign that has been part of National Breastfeeding Month for the past eight years. This year, through virtual events, Black mothers, lactation experts, and public health professionals have space to discuss their breastfeeding journeys, raise awareness, and explore public policies that address the disparities in statistics around Black maternal and infant care. Black Breastfeeding Week has become even more controversial this year because we are in a time where extreme emphasis has been placed upon race and it creates a space where white mothers feel isolated. White mothers are asking why Black women are choosing to segregate themselves, even down to the topic of breastfeeding. 

As the creator of Black Moms Blog, a collaborative blogging platform for mothers of color, I am no stranger to the "why aren't we included" questions from white mothers. The truth is, weeks like this should not have to exist. Platforms like mine should not be a necessity—but they are. The needs of Black mothers as well as the specific barriers we face are left out of the overall breastfeeding conversation. The historical and cultural context as to why is important.

​The History of Black Breastfeeding

Cultural reference should always be considered when discussing breastfeeding. During slavery, Black women were used as wet nurses. A wet nurse is someone who breastfeeds another woman's child. The true definition of a wet nurse states "employed," but replace that word with "forced," and the reality becomes clear. It is generational that Black women have developed a disdain for breastfeeding due to our historical relationship with wet nursing. Because of wet nursing, many Black women were unable to breastfeed their own children. Can you imagine the psychological effect that must have had on a moment that every mother should enjoy?"
Finish Reading about Racial Disparities in Breastfeeding Rates for Black Moms
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All
    Anxiety
    Babies
    Baby
    Black Lives Matter
    Black Motherhood
    Body Image
    Breakup
    Breastfeeding
    Breast Milk Anitibodies
    Children
    Climate Change
    Cognitive Dissonance
    Communication
    Confidence
    Coping
    Coronavirus
    Counseling Scottsdale
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Depression
    Diversity
    Dr. Rodriguez Siuts
    Dr. Rodriguez-siuts
    Early Relationships
    Economy
    Emotion
    Failure
    Fear
    Feeding And Nutrition
    Fertility
    Finland
    Gender Inequality
    Goal Setting
    Grief And Loss
    Happiness
    Healing
    Health
    Infant Mental Health
    Infertility
    Inspiration
    Listening
    Marriage
    Maternal Mental Health
    Maternal Mental Health Disorders
    Maternal Mental Health Psychologist
    Meditation
    Mental Health
    Mindfullness
    Mindfulness
    Miscarriage
    Motherhood
    Motivation
    Newborn
    New Mom
    Nutrition
    Pandemic
    Pandemic Parenting
    Pandemic Unemployment
    Parental Leave
    Parenting
    Perfectionism
    Performance
    Perimenopause
    Perinatal Mental Health
    Perinatalmooddisorders
    Personal Stories
    Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
    Postpartum
    Postpartum Anxiety
    Postpartum Care
    Postpartum Depression
    Postpartum Mental Health
    Postpartum Mood Concerns
    Postpartum OCD
    Postpartum Scary Thoughts
    Postpartum Support
    Preemies
    Pregnancy
    Pregnancy Loss
    Pregnancy Risks
    Procrastination
    Relationships
    Reproductive Mental Health
    Sandra Rodriguez Siuts
    Sandra Rodriguez-siuts
    Scottsdale Psychologist
    Second Infertility
    Self-care
    Social Connectedness
    Stay At Home Orders
    Stillborn
    Stress
    Success
    Suicide
    Surrogacy
    Teen Mental Health
    Therapy
    Therapy Phoenix
    Therapy Scottsdale
    Webinar
    Wellness
    Women
    Women Losing Jobs
    Women's Health
    Women's Health Psychologist
    Womens Health Psychologist
    Womens Mental Health
    Womens Psychology
    Workplace
    Youth Sports
    Zulresso

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​SANDRA RODRIGUEZ-SIUTS, PH.D., LLC 

8585 E Hartford Dr., Suite 120
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Phone: (480) 473-5411
Fax: (480) 436-6900

© Copyright 2020 Sandra Rodriguez-Siuts, Ph.D. - All Rights Reserved
Photos used under Creative Commons from edenpictures, Martin Cathrae
  • Home
  • About
  • Therapy Services
    • Prenatal and Postpartum Therapy
    • Reproductive Mental Health Therapy
    • General Maternal Mental Health
  • Patient Info
    • Patient Forms
    • Rates & Insurance
    • FAQ
    • Useful Therapeutic Apps
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Patient Portal