Welcome to Bridging the Breastfeeding Gap - Our Stories

Since August 2018, Bridging the Breastfeeding Gap has been an event aimed at providing breastfeeding education and resources to employers, organizations and community members during the month of August, which is National Breastfeeding Month.
 
Due to practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in acknowledging racism as the root cause for underlying health conditions for Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC) who have been disproportionately impacted by the virus, we made the decision not to hold a traditional workshop. Instead, we gathered stories from diverse voices in our community, specifically centering Black and Indigenous people of color and their birth and breastfeeding experiences of challenge, resilience and reclamation.

To read each mama's full story, click on her image. 

"I personally come from a breastfeeding family. My mom breastfed every single one of her children, me included. My sisters all breastfed their babies and so there was never a question of if I would breastfeed..."

"After having an unplanned c-section, I had my son successfully latched right away so I was very optimistic leaving the hospital. After arriving home, my milk was delayed coming in... "

"Hello my name is Kenya Halabi I am 24 years old I am the mother of a boy named KENED. I will tell you a little about my story. I am Venezuelan, I came to the United States specifically to the state of Michigan when I only had 15 days after arriving, I became pregnant...

"I breastfed my first for 21 months, staying home with him until six months and working 12 hr days three days a week after that. My husband brought him up to visit and nurse on work days. With my second I was determined to make it to 2 years, but..."

"I knew from being breastfed as a child that I wanted to breastfeed my children. My medical provider provided me with so much information that sparked my interest that I became obsessed with everything breast! Lol. I had no doubts that this is exactly what I wanted to do and to realize that it’s more of a mental thing than anything else. New moms, ..."

"Refusing to Give Up – Our Journey to Breastfeed Despite the Odds By Rita Little I wanted to do what was best for my son and I couldn’t. A decision I made 12 years ago, before I became a mother, was impacting me now. I was 17 years old and uncomfortable in my body..."

"I had the pleasure of breastfeeding all 3 of the beauties I birthed and it was a unique journey with each one..."

"With my family not being big on breastfeeding, I was one of the few that did decide to breastfeed my baby. I’ve always said I wanted to breastfeed my children, and I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to do so finally with my first baby. I was able to exclusively breastfeed my baby until he was 6 months and I loved every bit of it. Unfortunately,..."

"Hello my name is Makayla I am 25 and a mother of a 4 year old and a 2 year old, soon to be 3 in October. I knew from the moment I became pregnant with my first son at age 20 I wanted to breastfeed. I had a lot of people tell me not to be too set on it. That anything can happen. I honestly laughed at them thinking “how hard could it be?”...

"I had no idea how difficult my breastfeeding journey would be, especially considering it is something that is so natural. It is what our bodies and babies are designed to do..."

My breast feeding story is the story of not breast feeding. When I was pregnant with my son I took all the birthing classes, breast feeding classes, etc. I was ready for a beautiful natural birth and to be able to supply my baby with all the nutrition he could need. Things did not go as planned after being induced and attempting to go into labor for 72 hours I had to give birth via c section..."

"Happy Breastfeeding Week! Breastfeeding is one of the most beautiful experience I have ever encountered. It is sacrificial yet rewarding to know I am doing and giving my baby the best! I I have been on this journey now for 10 month with my daughter and the best part for me is..."

"I was fortunate to grow up with a family where breastfeeding was the natural thing to do. My grandmother breastfed my mother and my mother breastfed all of my siblings including myself. When it became time for me to be a mother I automatically knew I wanted to breastfeed my twins. My breastfeeding journey is vastly different than those in my life and even my second breastfeeding experience is different than my first. My first pregnancy I gave birth to twin boys at 27 weeks via emergency cesarean..."

"My breastfeeding journey started 15 years ago when I was just 20 years old. With my first child I was scared and just like any first time mom I was confused but I had a lactation consultant that kept me focused and stress free. That first experience was amazing and everything worked as it should. I experienced all the first such as sore nipples and poor latching but my daughter caught on before we left the hospital. My second child was kind of a breeze or at least I thought he was..."

"My medical department didn’t really discuss breastfeeding with me at all. When I went to his first doctors appointment it was kind of disheartening how they tried to push formula or supplements on me, I kindly declined ..."

"I have been breast-feeding my six-year-old and my one-year-old since the days they were born. I always dreamed of tandem breast-feeding before I had children. The best part about breastfeeding is the lifelong health benefits of breastmilk are the best gift I can give my children..."

"I wanted to breastfeed my son as soon as I knew I was pregnant. I knew it was what was best for our family. I successfully pumped (as he could not latch, yay for flat nipples) until he was 4 weeks old. I got severely sick and hospitalized for a week with several illnesses and had to stop breastfeeding. However, ..."

"I spent 13 months breastfeeding! It was a tiring but forever rewarding experience! My first 30 hours after giving birth I was met with 3 lactation consultants. One was extremely helpful and patient. The other two did not ease my concerns at all. I left hopeful but I was soon met with the reality that this would not be as easy as media had made it seem...."

"I knew I wanted to breastfeed and with both of my children it was a struggle. With my son, in 2013, I had to beg the hospital for a lactation consultant, his pediatrician discouraged breastfeeding because he was small and not gaining weight as quickly as they anticipated. I was recovering from a c-section, taking him to the doctor for weekly weight checks, in grad school and working. It was such a stressful and frustrating situation..."

"My Family Supported My breast feeding Journey. The Lesson I would like to share is..."