CARLISLE, Pa. — Aug. 25 to Aug. 31 is Black Breastfeeding Week, and advocates hope that the event raises awareness and brings resources to new moms who haven’t been breastfeeding.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 75% of white women breastfeed, while only 58.9% of Black women breastfeed. Health experts say the disparity is due to a number of factors.
“It’s many different reasons why that happens,” said Dr. Chavone Momon-Nelson, chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UPMC at Carlisle. “One, they often go back to work earlier compared to white women; they go back to jobs that don’t often support breastfeeding; also, they’re not encouraged to breastfeed from their providers, from their hospital staff, so those are some of the barriers.”
Dr. Momon-Nelson says that there are many benefits of breastfeeding. Some of the benefits include reducing the chance of childhood sickness or sudden infant death syndrome, helping build a strong immune system and even saving money by not buying formula.
“Also, the babies that go into the NICU do significantly better… and the bonding for mom and baby is really nice,” said Dr. Momon-Nelson.
In order to close the racial gap between white women and Black women who are breastfeeding, mothers and doctors need to talk about the issue. When the conversation starts, patients are able to get resources and information on the impacts of breastfeeding and the benefits.
“There are so many different organizations out there and also many doulas and midwives that talk to patients about breastfeeding, and I think that is very helpful to make sure that women are encouraged to breastfeed and most importantly to decrease this disparity,” said Dr. Momon-Nelson.
Some of the resources that would help encourage Black moms to start breastfeeding are lactation services, electric pumps and a breakdown of the benefits of breastfeeding. Dr. Momon-Nelson also says that having a support system to help encourage the mom to breastfeed can help close the racial gap.