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#BlackBreastFeeding Week Black Mother Breast feeding

(LWA/Dann Tardif/Getty Image)

#BlackBreastFeedingWeek Brings Awareness To Breastfeeding Benefits

Did you know that Black babies are dying at twice the rate (in some place, nearly triple) the rate of white babies?

Neither did we. That’s why Black mothers are bringing attention to this statistic during “Black Breast Feeding Week“. They are sharing selfies and stories of why they nurse their little loved ones naturally. Breast milk has benefits, like natural colostrum to help bring a sick newborns back to health. Breast feeding can literally mean life or death for an infant…

Blackbreastfeeding.org has helped create this beautiful movement of women showing us why breastfeeding is important through portraits.

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I’ll never forget the first time I breastfed 6 years ago. No one had previously explained to me that the colostrum comes first, not to panic when I didn’t see white milk. Or that the process of latching correctly involves several weeks of intense pain. Rawness. Redness. Soreness. Engorgement. Didn’t know that the sound of any infant crying would trigger an instant leak, or that rubbing breastmilk on my breasts after each feeding expedited my healing process. I didn’t know that womens’ nipples turn darker during pregnancy to serve as a bullseye for a newborn’s poor eyesight. Or that the tiny bumps surrounding the areola (called Montgomery tubercles) are glands that secrete a distinct oil & smell that would help guide my child to my boob. That same oil has antibacterial properties to keep the areola properly lubricated for feedings. I was previously unaware that my breast milk had healing properties, that the same breast milk that nourished my child could be used in my child’s ear to heal ear aches, or his eyes to get rid of pink eye. I remember the first time I spilled a bottle of fresh pumped breastmilk. They say don’t cry over spilled milk. I cried. 😂😂 I unshamefully purchased 10 bikinis from Victoria Secret thinking my engorged breasts would permanently be robust, huge and filling. When Jay finished milking them after a year, my poor boobies in the bikini top were comparable to tiny pearls in a huge oyster shell 😂😂😂 Fast forward 6 years with Jacen. I am now empowered, aware, and comfortable. Not every woman is blessed with the ability, time, resources, support system, or proper equipment to successfully breastfeed a child from infancy to toddlerhood. #Breastfeeding is an art. It’s a craft. It’s magical. There is a spiritual connection in breastfeeding that is only understood between mother and child. The art and practice of breastfeeding is not something that is mastered overnight. It is a continual work in progress. Let me end by saying that no woman should feel ashamed or embarrassed if she is unable to breastfeed her child for whatever reason. Continue Reading in Comments.

A post shared by Toi Lynn Tucker (@tois_bayjaycee) on

Hit the flip for more sistas sharing their breastfeeding stories. Are YOU someone how breastfed?

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnBnQ2pl7BE/?hl=en&tagged=blackbreastfeedingweek

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I’ll never forget the first time I breastfed 6 years ago. No one had previously explained to me that the colostrum comes first, not to panic when I didn’t see white milk. Or that the process of latching correctly involves several weeks of intense pain. Rawness. Redness. Soreness. Engorgement. Didn’t know that the sound of any infant crying would trigger an instant leak, or that rubbing breastmilk on my breasts after each feeding expedited my healing process. I didn’t know that womens’ nipples turn darker during pregnancy to serve as a bullseye for a newborn’s poor eyesight. Or that the tiny bumps surrounding the areola (called Montgomery tubercles) are glands that secrete a distinct oil & smell that would help guide my child to my boob. That same oil has antibacterial properties to keep the areola properly lubricated for feedings. I was previously unaware that my breast milk had healing properties, that the same breast milk that nourished my child could be used in my child’s ear to heal ear aches, or his eyes to get rid of pink eye. I remember the first time I spilled a bottle of fresh pumped breastmilk. They say don’t cry over spilled milk. I cried. 😂😂 I unshamefully purchased 10 bikinis from Victoria Secret thinking my engorged breasts would permanently be robust, huge and filling. When Jay finished milking them after a year, my poor boobies in the bikini top were comparable to tiny pearls in a huge oyster shell 😂😂😂 Fast forward 6 years with Jacen. I am now empowered, aware, and comfortable. Not every woman is blessed with the ability, time, resources, support system, or proper equipment to successfully breastfeed a child from infancy to toddlerhood. #Breastfeeding is an art. It’s a craft. It’s magical. There is a spiritual connection in breastfeeding that is only understood between mother and child. The art and practice of breastfeeding is not something that is mastered overnight. It is a continual work in progress. Let me end by saying that no woman should feel ashamed or embarrassed if she is unable to breastfeed her child for whatever reason. Continue Reading in Comments.

A post shared by Toi Lynn Tucker (@tois_bayjaycee) on

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I’m raising a girl and that’s hard. Because wrapped up in this tiny human is a glimpse of the woman I can be. I spend everyday trying to find her in myself and protect my daughter from losing touch with her. . . Feeding my two year old I get to see her in her quiet moments and really look at her. She’s taught me that I can be wild and free. I can stand my ground and cuddle sweetly. I’m never to small to ask for what I want and never to inexperienced to demand what I like. . . This little Leo girl is teaching me the art of being gentle, like a bomb. . . Here’s to all the girls who make better women of the ones that birthed them . . . . . . #womensequalityday #sponsored #womensequality #bbw18 #loveontop #blackwomendobreastfeed #crunchymama #blackbreastfeedingweek #breastfeedingmom #extendedbreastfeeding #normalizebreastfeeding #blackbreastsmatter

A post shared by Sunshine Abou Bakar 🇯🇲🇹🇹 (@africanboheme) on

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All week we are highlighting #BlackBreastFeedingWeek by sharing photos, articles, and resources that promote healthy feeding in the Black Community. We ❤️ this post by @msalexandrav Read Below: ・・・ When Hunter was an infant I tried to avoid going out in public. I found breastfeeding while not at home super overwhelming. I fumbled getting the nursing cover out and in position, finding a place to nurse, getting him into position and keeping the cover in place…all while he screamed at the top of my lungs for milk. I have to admit, when we were out in those first couple of months I worried more about bothering other people than I’d like to admit. . Maybe it was the hormones, maybe it was the lack of sleep or maybe it was the panic I felt when I needed to nurse him in public, but it was all so overwhelming and the thought of flashing a stranger sent me into a panic. . I have since ditched a formal nursing cover and have gotten more comfortable nursing in public. Instead of panicking about finding a place to hide to nurse, I now focus on a comfortable place that will allow us both to nurse in peace. Sometimes in front of people, sometimes not. Maybe it’s growth or maybe it’s confidence or maybe I’m just so used to my boobs always being exposed due to constant nursing, but I am so much more comfortable nursing now when we aren’t home. . Right now, and for the foreseeable future, my breasts make milk to nourish my son. Nursing my son isn’t gross and breastfeeding moms shouldn’t be shamed for feeding their children in public. Don’t flash us dirty looks, don’t stare at our chests, don’t ask us to move and don’t ask us to cover up. The sexualization of breastfeeding needs to be stopped. Society would have me think a woman in a bikini is something favorable but a woman breastfeeding her child is not. The narrative needs to change. 📷: @hc_incorporated

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Mama Glow- Women aren’t adequately supported after childbirth. There is so much attention placed on the prenatal period, but what about the support for new moms? Postpartum doulas are an invaluable asset for new mothers in a culture that doesn’t value motherhood. While you can’t spiritually bypass your feelings & pretend they don’t exist, there are some things you can do. You can shift your attitude to one of gratitude. You can practice gently loving yourself. You can focus on mindfulness & being in the present moment. _ For some 80% of new mothers, feelings of mild to moderate depression set in a few days postpartum & can last for a few days to two weeks. The idea is not to get rid of them, but to be aware. To feel your way through. This is when you need the most support, when you’re most tender. You might experience moodiness, exhaustion, & weepiness as your hormones shift & you transition from carrying your baby on the inside ( 9 month intrauterine gestation) to caring for the baby on the outside (9 months extrauterine gestation). _ More severe than the baby blues is full-blown postpartum depression, or PPD. PPD is experienced by up to 25% of new mothers, & can occur anytime within the 1st year after giving birth. Some moms feel guilt for feeling bad, & punish themselves for their feelings. Instead, embrace them. Let the feelings rise to the surface, release the pain, rage with support. _ It’s critical to find a mental health care provider to confide in who can support your transition into new motherhood. And to make this transition sustainable when you don’t feel stable, we need a community of support. We need our sister circle of women who can help guide us through. We need our support in place before our babies come or we realize shortly after birth, that very few people are there, & those you expect don’t show up & those you expect the least from- often surprise you. — Here are some affirmations to support this process where we may feel out of control. _ • I trust that this is a normal process & I welcome my feelings to the surface. _ • I am grateful for this moment of emotional release. _ • I am aligned with a divine power that will pull me through

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"My mother breastfed all four of her kids until we were all 2 years old. She told me I was gonna have a non medicated birth and I was gonna breast feed, so I did all three times. I realize that it’s a blessing to be able to breastfeed and it doesn’t always come easy to all women. All three girls instantly latched and I’ve always had an abundance of milk supply. I breastfed Amirah for 1 year, Az for 13 months and plan on doing the same with Asiyah. I’ve always been supported and encouraged by my family and community when it comes to breastfeeding. I pop my boob out in public, I don’t cover up because Nobody wants to eat with a blanket over their head. However you decide to breastfeed, do it for you and your child’s comfort level and no one else’s. I’m always encouraging my friends to breastfeed and trying to support them the best I can." Black Breastfeeding Week ❤️ This week we are sharing stories from some of the amazing mothers in our community and starting with the amazing @watermeloneggrolls who has three beautiful daughters and is such a light of information and inspiration- make sure you follow her! #blackbreastfeedingweek #breastfeeding #ittakesavillage #boobsout

A post shared by GraceFull Birthing ® (@gracefullbirth) on

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“It’s so hard to ask for help. Because you’re supposed to be ‘Mommy.’ And you never want to say: ‘I need help being Mommy.’ I carried this person for nine months. I knew she was coming. I felt like I should be able to handle it and I didn’t want to ask other people to stop their lives. Especially if they had no part in making this baby. But eventually I had to give in. I’m just one person and being ‘Mama’ 24/7 can make you crazy. I found myself getting frustrated that other people were going on with their lives. I’d let things fester. And it was unhealthy for my relationships. I’d get heated with my mother and boyfriend. Instead of beginning with ‘Can you help?’ I’d lose my temper, and jump straight to: ‘Why aren’t you helping?’” @humansofny

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