Breastfeeding: how 14 Black Women empower motherhood
Is there anything more natural than breastfeeding? Breastfeeding celebrates motherhood and shows how nature does not know any racial disparities that hinder Black women from given their babies the most important kind of nourishment, as we are experiencing during these challenging times.
Some research conducted to capture the significance of breastfeeding within the Black community has shown that Black infants had a lower rate of breastfeeding at age 3 months, corresponding to the 58% than that of White infants, 72.7%. Breastfeeding is fundamental to decrease infant mortality rates, that could be lower by as much as 50% only if a baby has been breastfed. Breastfeeding has also been proved to reduce the likelihood of children developing future health conditions like asthma, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Yet, there are several reasons for the wide gap difference between Black and White communities. Black mothers disproportionately experience several barriers to initiating and continuing their breastfeeding journey, for instance. This includes lack of knowledge about breastfeeding, lack of support from family and friends, lack of support from the healthcare industry, and work demands. Not to mention there’s also the social stigma of women made to feel ashamed for breastfeeding their children in public settings.
This is why the social media hashtag #normalizebreastfeeding has been picking up steam over the past few years.
In honour of all the Black women that are in support of normalising one of the most genuine and amazing gestures, breastfeeding, we’ve rounded up a beautiful gallery of Black moms normalizing it.
