You've probably heard of the many health benefits of breastfeeding, but did you know that promoting equity in breastfeeding can be just as important? For many women and babies of color breastfeeding could mean a matter of life and death or sickness and health. Breastfeeding also offers economic benefits. Unfortunately, many mothers face barriers to breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding in the Latino Community
Although 77% Latina mothers start off breastfeeding, this number drops to 21%, 6 months after giving birth. One of the most common reasons for why women stop breastfeeding is the need to return to work or school. Some women may lack support from their family and peers. Many Latina mothers are also faced with a lack of breastfeeding support from health care providers, and ...
Despite the importance of breastfeeding for the healthy development of children, breastfeeding rates remain lower in the U.S. than in many other countries. Among Latinas, many women initiate breastfeeding, however 50% are no longer breastfeeding after 6 months. According to a 2017 research review, Latina Mom and Baby Health, conducted by Salud America! there is now evidence to show that breastfeeding for 1 year or longer can significantly lower a child's chances of becoming obese.
Why is it important to promote breastfeeding and how can policy help create a supportive environment?
Find out at our next #SaludTues chat! The Impact of Breastfeeding on Latina Moms and Children
Despite the vast amount of research that highlights the incredible benefits of breastfeeding, women ...
Colorado moms in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) can text peer counselors any time of day for breastfeeding advice, thanks to a new program being expanded across the state. WIC is a federal program that boosts healthcare and nutrition for vulnerable women and children. Latinos comprise nearly half of the 8.8 million WIC participants. WIC aims to improve breastfeeding rates, curb obesity, and boost early childhood development. Could texting help WIC moms get breastfeeding support they need? “We know breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed babies, but sometimes new moms need extra support,” Heidi Hoffman, director of WIC in Colorado, said in a news release. “Using technology, we can help more moms in more places for less ...
Sustainable development is essentially about ecology, economy, and equity. We cannot achieve sustainable development without multi-level partnerships at all levels. World Breastfeeding Week 2017 is about sustaining breastfeeding together across four thematic areas: Nutrition, Food Security and Poverty Reduction
Survival, Health and Wellbeing
Environment and Climate Change
Women's Productivity and Employment Breastfeeding is one conversation in getting us to think about how to value our health and wellbeing from the start of life, how to respect each other, and how to care for the world we share. Learn more about how breastfeeding is a component of sustainable development. Together, we can attract political support, media attention, and participation of young ...
Infant nutrition experts Norma Sifuentes and Diana Montano have promoted breastfeeding for 30 years combined in San Antonio, Texas (63.2% Latino). The two women, employees of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District’s Women, Infants and Children (SAMHD-WIC) department, know that breastfeeding duration rates are low here. Less breastfeeding means more risk of obesity, diabetes, and lower IQs. So Sifuentes and Montano worked together to create a place—a haven—to help low-income Latina and all mothers access breastfeeding support and peer counseling.
Why isn't breastfeeding more prominent?
The benefits of breastfeeding are numerous. For babies, it reduces risk of infectious diseases, asthma, atopic dermatitis, childhood leukemia, diabetes, obesity and sudden infant ...
In November 2015, the Unicode Consortium approved 51 new emoji's, and breastfeeding is one, according to Forbes. Based on requests and popular demand, the Unicode Consortium decides which emojis will be available for mobile devices, laptops, desktops and wearables. Interventions or policies aimed at improving breastfeeding rates among Latina mothers may be critical to promoting physical and mental health; however, Latina moms often face social, political, environmental, and cultural barriers to reach their own breastfeeding goals. In order to build a culture of health it is critical to support breastfeeding and empower women to live healthier lives. The emoji should be available in 2017. Spread the ...
A history of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) may negatively impact a mother's exclusive breastfeeding rates. ACEs are negative events or experiences, such as abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction that cause disproportionate stress to children, which can harm their health and development. As the number of ACEs increases, so does the risk for negative health outcomes throughout adulthood. According to a study published in the Breastfeeding Medicine Journal, among the women with a history of ACEs, only 36.6% of moms exclusively breastfed their babies for up to 6 months, compared to 46.7% of moms without a history of ACEs. Latina moms face many barriers to breastfeeding, such as low income, participation in federal food assistance programs that offer free infant formula, ...
We all know that breastfeeding saves live and money, yet many moms, especially Latina moms, do not meet their own personal breastfeeding goals. Why not? According to a framing brief by Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG), the story on breastfeeding is narrowly framed around a portrait of the mother and baby rather than the context of real women's lives in which it takes place. Consider why Starbucks' executives get lactation rooms, but baristas have to lock themselves in the bathroom to pump breast milk. Advocates should look beyond the portrait towards to the landscape-social, cultural, political, structural, and environmental factors that make it difficult to breastfeed, like lack of support in hospitals, insufficient time and space in the workplace, unfriendly businesses, ...
Digital marketing-versus print advertising, product labels, and television commercials-is uniquely problematic today in that marketers are able to aggressively reach a pregnant woman with personalized content early and constant, which may undermine breastfeeding, according to a preliminary analysis of social media marketing of infant formula by the Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG) in September 2016. Breastfeeding is good for mothers and babies, and it's free; however, Latina moms face many barriers when attempting to reach their personal breastfeeding goals, one of which is the widespread marketing of infant formula, thus they have lower breastfeeding rates and are burdened by health disparities. Researchers found "a number of examples of formula companies using social media to ...
