Showing up at a funeral wearing HOT PINK when everyone is wearing BLACK being a VEGETARIAN at a HOT-DOG EATING CONTEST; or walking into your grandma’s house NAKED while she celebrates her 75th BIRTHDAY are pretty much what it’s like for me being Black and Breastfeeding.  It’s weird, it’s not normal, and for some in my family it’s considered gross.  Breastfeeding just isn’t done in my family or in much of the black community where I live. My husband was number nine of ten children; none of them were breastfed.  When I came to his sister’s house to celebrate mother’s day, his mother was in complete shock that the milk she was feeding her new grandson in a bottle came from a human being. If she was shocked with that information, imagine her reaction when she discovered that I barely used a bottle and am more comfortable feeding directly from the breast; I might as well have said I don’t believe in God.  My husband’s sister flat out said that breastfeeding was gross, that breasts were used for sex, and said that I was weird and should pump. (As if pumping is so easy.) I was the strange one for wanting to breastfeed, and often times I was told that it was my “white” side that was eager to do it and comfortable doing so 


Why is breastfeeding a “white” thing?

My side of the family is a little more excepting of breastfeeding but it is still seldom done by the younger members. My grandmother breastfed for a short while, my aunts breastfed as well for an even shorter period and my cousins never breastfed at all outside of the hospital. Though my family is much more excepting of breastfeeding there are a long list of stipulations:

1. No breastfeeding past a year - “After a year they are too old to breastfeed, you better pump it into a cup”

2. You have to use a cover or isolate yourself completely- “Nobody wants to see all that”

3. The number of times you nurse or length of time you nurse is limited -”He isn’t hungry! He’s using you as a pacifier! You feed him to much!  Are you still feeding him? That’s way too long.  Start giving him rice cereal.”

For my husband, the idea of breastfeeding, was new and foreign. It wasn’t anything he was exposed to beforehand and he wasn’t very excepting of it right away. The change in him was gradual and I must admit came about for selfish reasons. When he first heard that I was going to breastfeed, he asked why I had to be different. He couldn’t understand why I couldn’t just give him a bottle like everyone else and kept accusing me of trying to be abnormal on purpose. He saw breasts as sexual objects strictly to be used by him. When he accepted the fact I couldn’t be moved on my decision, he tried to implement a list of rules: No breastfeeding outside the house, no breastfeeding in front of the kids, always use a cover, and so on and so forth. It was a very difficult time for our relationship because he just couldn’t see breastfeeding as a natural and beautiful thing. It was exhausting trying to get him to understand that just because he hadn’t any experience with it, that didn’t make it wrong. What finally made my husband see the light was after our son was born. It was 3 am and my husband had to be at work at 6 am. The baby wakes, and begins to cry, but within about a minute all was quiet again. I had whipped out my breast so fast and got the little one back to sleep so quickly that my husband barely missed a wink. He told me that he was so glad I had “those” things.  From then on he was a believer in the almighty power of breasts. He was so happy that I was able to comfort our baby so quickly. Not to mention the fact that with him being the sole breadwinner, he was saving loads of money by not having to purchase formula. Though time has gone on and he has become more comfortable with breastfeeding he still has a bit of a way to go. For instance he is still a stickler about using a cover and breastfeeding in public altogether.

For me, sometimes being  Black and Breastfeeding is like being alone on a deserted island. Where are all of my fellow black breastfeeding mommas?  They don’t exist in my family, in my group of friends, my coworkers, until now with Meet, Nurse, Love breastfeeding support groups I’ve attended in the past were non-existent, they weren't anywhere. I just wished there were more of us out there. It could be that I was mistaken then and they just weren't in my area and if so that sucks, especially for the people that are in need of the support I've found at Meet, Nurse, Love.  I mean, until now breastfeeding would've be so much nicer if I didn’t feel like I was one of the only sisters doing it in the neighborhood. I thought, if I could meet others like me struggling to make breastfeeding the norm in our community, or even in just our families, it would be a relief knowing I wasn’t alone in the struggle. Hopefully, by standing up and supporting the normalization of breastfeeding and the continued growth of Meet, Nurse, Love in our community new black moms would see that it’s not strange to nurse our little ones, and families will nurse their babies without a second thought. I also hope that some of us women with similar struggles of be accepted in our family can gather together and be a sense of strength for each other.  I know I sure could use that help and support.

As the Oakland County Breastfeeding Coalition celebrates World Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Month, we reflect on ways we, the public, can support breastfeeding mothers and babies by creating spaces that are welcoming and supportive of normal infant feeding at the breast.  So what does this mean - a "breastfeeding friendly place"?  And where is such a place even needed?  Well, to me, as a mother who has nursed 3 babies, a breastfeeding friendly place is a place where I can safely sit and feed my baby in a clean environment - bonus points for climate controlled spaces !  

We hear in the news about specific places set aside for a breastfeeding dyad, such as in airports  - this allows for a mother to seek out a private space if needed.  It also allows for a private space for breastfeeding moms who use a pump to express milk for their babies.  Some retail establishments create mother/baby spaces also - some places that come to mind for me are Nordstrom Department Store at Somerset in Troy and Modern Natural Baby Store in Ferndale.  We have to remember; however, that wherever we have people, we have nursing moms !  Libraries, sports stadiums, zoos, malls, restaurants, farmers markets, amusement parks, outdoor festivals, concerts, churches, schools, doctor office waiting rooms……nursing moms are everywhere in Oakland County !  And breastfeeding moms are hopefully not feeling as much pressure to nurse in private - their cars, a restroom stall, someplace hidden, with OR without a cover.  Moms have the choice of where to feed their babies based on their comfort level. 

Target was in the news recently for a section of their employee handbook addressing breastfeeding customers   - the policy allows for a nursing mother to be given a fitting room in order to privately feed her baby, even if others are waiting for rooms.  It tells employees NOT to approach a nursing mom unless she requests assistance.  These types of policies are needed in order to remove personal bias that employees may have or due to employees who are uneducated about the rights and needs of a nursing mother to feed her baby. 

I applaud all businesses and organizations who recognize the needs of nursing moms and work to create a breastfeeding friendly place and I encourage them to reach out to the Oakland County Breastfeeding Coalition if they want more information on how they can further support nursing moms.

I am hopeful for our mothers and babies in Oakland County, that as breastfeeding is normalized through the efforts of mothers and organizations, that these breast-feeding "couples" can go about their days not having to worry about their ability to safely feed their baby, to feel supported, to be encouraged, to be protected from harassment, to be applauded by their communities !  From Royal Oak to Pontiac, from Oxford to Bloomfield Hills, let's create communities that support mothers and babies and their right to feed at the breast.

Where's Breastfeeding? Everywhere!

When I was breastfeeding my son, I had the luxury of returning to school and taking him with me! I was able to go to the campus childcare center and have a comfortable, supportive environment in which to relax and breastfeed.

In this day and age, many women need to return to work and do so without much time off post the birth of their child. We are also more out and about in the community. We know that the benefits of breastmilk and breastfeeding and are more actively promoting and supporting this. Healthy People 2020 has goals for more than 80% initiation and early breastfeeding of our babies. We know that mothers and infants are healthier, and that employers save money in healthcare coverage costs, less absenteeism, increased retention of employees and employee satisfaction. However, how are we supporting breastfeeding mothers in the community and as they return to work, and how can we encourage and assist employers in supporting their staff?


The state of Michigan assists in the protection of nursing mothers, we are one of the states that has laws that protect breastfeeding in public and private locations, that provide exemption from indecency laws (that means we can breastfeed at the park and in the mall, we can bare our breasts), and that breastfeeding women can be exempted or can postpone jury duty.

Federal law, specifically the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which took effect in March of 2010, provides assistance and protection for the first year of your child’s life. It amended Section 7(r) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that addresses employment and breastfeeding, and provides for break times to pump or express breast milk.  It also addresses providing an appropriate and functional place to pump or express breastmilk (no more bathrooms!).  There are some limitations to this law in that it primarily covers hourly workers and employers with greater than 50 employees, though many more employers have adapted these guidelines.  You can find more information at the following websites or call 1-866-4-USWAGE (1-866-487-9243) for assistance.

Additionally, coverage of breast pumps, counseling and breastfeeding supplies were addressed by different components of the health care law. However, there were no specific guidelines as to what type of support, what type of breast pump or how much money was to be allocated toward these resources. Therefore, specific interpretation of the guidelines and coverage varies between insurance companies.

So what can WE do?

Where to pump/express breastmilk:  Talk to your employer about your breastfeeding goals before your maternity leave. Do they have a place for you to pump or express breastmilk that fits the guidelines? Do they have a policy in place for pumping and breast milk storage? Are there other moms that are pumping and would they be willing to set up a pump station for all of you (and future moms). Offer to provide your employer with resources to create the best experience for mothers returning to work. The Office of Women’s Health has an excellent website that provides information for both you and your employer.  Specifically at http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/employer-solutions/policy.html much information is available, including a sample “Policy for Supporting Breastfeeding Employees”. http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/employer-solutions/docs/SamplePolicy.pdf . Additional information, including statistics and information to support assisting breastfeeding women is available at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/breastfeeding/factsheet.html

Obtaining breast pumps:  Most women returning to work or school do best with a good double electric breast pump. Know that insurance companies provide the dollars for your breast pump, but that you will be receiving the pump from a Durable Medical Supply Company (DME), not a pharmacy, though you may need a prescription for your pump. Call your insurance company before you have your baby, some companies will assist in providing a breast pump up to 30 days before your due date. Research the DME companies to see who has a contract with your insurance company and what pump they will provide. This can vary between DMEs. If only a single pump is covered by your insurance company – see if you can pay the difference to upgrade to a double pump, or if you can purchase a pump yourself and then be reimbursed.  For families with babies born early or with special needs there may be differences in insurance coverage and Women Infants and Children (WIC) provides many resources for both pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and their children (up to 5 years old). They can be reached at 1-800-26-BIRTH, and you will be directed to an office near you.

Future Changes:  We have power in numbers!  Become active with your local and state Coalitions. Look into U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (Oregon) promotion of the Supporting Working Moms Act (SWMA) that will extend the current federal protections for women in additional work place roles, such as school teachers, administrative personnel and others that are salaried versus hourly employees. Information is available at http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5162/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=21010 .

Come join us at the September event https://www.facebook.com/events/1673046042908924/

We have the ability to promote change; we need to use our voice and numbers.

Janetlynne Erickson MSN FNP-BC IBCLC LCCE CPST

Additional resources: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/breastfeeding/index.html

http://www.dol.gov/whd/nursingmothers/

In the year 2015, to be discussing the idea of protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding, is perplexing to me.  Perplexing because its hard to believe that in America we need to be fighting for the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.  As we continually hear news stories of woman being told to leave establishments if seen breastfeeding, or being belittled for the same reason, is disheartening.

The way to protect breastfeeding is to stand up for the right of women to feed their babies as they choose, no matter where they are.  We can start by educating the public on the lifelong benefits of breastfeeding.  We, as a nation, need to desexualize the woman's breasts and have them be seen as they are, a means to feed our babies.  I feel as breastfeeding gets promoted and supported and looked upon as a 'normal' means to feed your baby, our nation will desensitize themselves on the notion that breastfeeding is a sexual entity.  In other countries, a woman breastfeeding is not even questioned.  It is so normal to see a breastfeeding mother, that others around don't think twice about what she is doing.

Also, we as lactation specialists, of all kinds, need to support one another for our efforts.  I find we too often look at credentials of one another and fail to support one another for our efforts and work supporting the breastfeeding mother.  We are all in the realm of education and supporting breastfeeding mothers because it is our PASSION.  Any efforts we can make towards a breastfeeding mom is an effort well worth the time and energy put forth.  Supporting each other, while supporting many breastfeeding moms is only going to benefit the whole breastfeeding population.  We all come to the table with differing backgrounds and knowledge but have one goal in mind, to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. How glorious is that!!!

I do feel that our nation is turning a corner regarding breastfeeding.  I think we are in the midst of Protecting, Promoting and Supporting breastfeeding.  I think breastfeeding is becoming more normalized.  We see this in our daily news.  We have government, celebrities and media discussing it and normalizing it.  I believe the continual attention to breastfeeding will help us turn the corner and see it as a natural and beautiful way of feeding and bonding with our babies.

The best scenario would be to hear nothing on breastfeeding because it is so normal in our country that we don't think twice about seeing a mom breastfeeding anywhere.  Through continued Protection, Promotion and Support of breastfeeding, we can only hope for every mother to be breastfeeding her baby and giving her the unconditional support needed to do so.

Jennifer Lewandowski-CLC, CD(DONA), PCD(DONA), CCCE