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Chocolate Milk Club supports Black mothers with breastfeeding

"The more you see other women that look like you breastfeed, the more it becomes normalized. So, we're reclaiming the cultural practice."​

MINNEAPOLIS — Christian Harris knew before giving birth to her daughter, Sunny, that she wanted to breastfeed. 

"The second she came out she was ready to eat," Harris recalled. "From that moment, we were breastfeeding and it was just a roller coaster ride."

Harris found support from the Chocolate Milk Club, a group formed to help African American mothers with breastfeeding.

"I delivered in a predominantly white hospital and the lactation consultant that was there was white. I didn't necessarily feel super comfortable to follow up. There's a sense of they just won't get the challenges that you faced," Harris said. "When I saw there was a group dedicated for Black women, I said, 'this is exactly what I need.'"

Credit: Christian Harris
Christian Harris with her daughter, Sunny.

Dr. LaVonne Moore, a nurse midwife and lactation consultant, started the group about five years ago under the umbrella of her Chosen Vessels Midwifery Services, based in Minneapolis. 

"Our goal is to restore, and reclaim, and revive this practice of breastfeeding in our community," she said.

The group now meets virtually, but prior to the pandemic they gathered on Monday evenings for food and discussion around topics related to motherhood and breastfeeding.

"Returning to work, pumping, also baby wrapping, so we do a number of topics," said Moore. "The more you see other women that look like you breastfeed, the more it becomes normalized. So, we're reclaiming the cultural practice."

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a mother breastfeed her infant for the first six months of life, citing the many health benefits. However, there has long been a racial disparity in breastfeeding. 

Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 73.7% of Black infants in the U.S. are ever breastfed, compared with 86.7% of white infants. A disparity of 13%.

In Minnesota, numbers provided by the state show in 2019 79.8% of African American mothers ever breastfeed, compared with 92% of white mothers. 

There are a number of factors that can explain the disparity, including historical trauma from slavery. Enslaved women were often forced to be wet nurses for their captors' white infants, breastfeeding the slaveholder's child before their own.

"That wet nursing has impacted the negative association with not having control over your own body from being enslaved. That historical trauma has impacted how we view breastfeeding," said Moore. 

Marcia McCoy, an epidemiologist with the Minnesota WIC program, explained in an email to KARE 11 Wednesday that in addition to historical trauma, other factors include formula marketing specifically targeted towards Black families and formula initially being seen as a status symbol in the 20th century.

McCoy pointed out there have been improvements in Minnesota's breastfeeding disparity. In 2012, just 70% of African American mothers initiated breastfeeding, compared with 87.8% of white mothers.

The state separates its breastfeeding numbers for Black mothers by cultural identity. Breastfeeding numbers for African American mothers are separate from mothers who identify as East African, whose rates are much higher (94.3% in 2019). McCoy explained that East African communities have a different cultural attitude toward breastfeeding.

Meanwhile, Harris is grateful to have found support with the Chocolate Milk Club.

"It's so important to see people who look like you in your position and know how to help you ... I really think it's the reason I continued to breastfeed as long as I did," she said. "Every Black mother should know that they're not alone."

Black Breastfeeding Week runs through August 31. 

More information on the Chocolate Milk Club can be found here. The group is hosting "Chocolate Milk Day" from 1-3 pm on Sunday, August 30 on Boom Island in Minneapolis for African American families interested in breastfeeding and learning more about the club. Because of the pandemic, the event will be held in a "drive thru" style.

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