Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 8-25-17

Feature
Black Breastfeeding Week Event:
Founder Of Brown Baby Brigade Wants To Educate Local Moms
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
By the time Khy Jones gave birth to her eighth child, she was no novice when it came to breastfeeding.
But nursing this time around soon proved different when Jones developed an infection that caused sore- ness in her nipples whenever her baby would feed.
After treatment and some coaching from a Certified Lactation Consultant, feed- ing her baby was again pleas- ant.
The experience motivated Jones to found in 2016 the Brown Baby Brigade, a non- profit devoted to normalizing breastfeeding and increasing access to breastfeeding edu- cation and support to women
of color.
According to the Centers
for Disease Control, a breast- feeding study conducted from 2000 to 2008 shows that more mothers of all races are breastfeeding. But a gap still exists: the percent- age of women who initiated breastfeeding went up from 47.4 percent to 58.9 percent for Blacks, and 71.8 percent to 75.2 percent for whites.
Another study from 2010 revealed that after six months, only 36 percent of Black babies still breastfeed, compared to 52 percent of white babies.
Jones says that one rea- son Black mothers aren’t nursing like their white counterparts is because hos- pitals are not providing them breastfeeding information or access to a lactation consult- ant.
“What we’re finding is that people automatically as- sume that Black women won’t breastfeed and so she won’t get the resources,” she said.
Another factor is a lack of support at home. Family and friends may not be accus- tomed to seeing a baby being breastfed, which leads to
mothers being ostracized, Jones said.
Through Brown Baby Brigade, Jones hopes to make breastfeeding more commonplace and accepted.
“Breastfeeding is natu- ral,” she said. “We sexualize breasts so much, we still have places that assault moms for doing it. We have to stand up for moms and their rights.”
The organization hosts free monthly meet-ups at Brandon Mall where nursing moms can get the help and encouragement they need to successfully breastfeed.
Jones, now a Certified Lactation Consultant, also teaches mothers proper posi- tions for breastfeeding and other helpful nuggets of in- formation in one-on-one meetings.
“Breastfeeding is not easy,” she said. “If the baby does not latch on properly, it can be painful.”
Jones said she’s passion- ate about breastfeeding be- cause the health benefits for baby and mother are as- tounding.
Breast milk provides all the nutrients babies need and the milk mothers pro- duce is made specifically for each baby. Additionally, the skin-to-skin contact from breastfeeding deepens the bond between mother and
baby.
Also, studies have shown
that breastfeeding can re- duce cancers in mothers, Jones said.
Jones said she wants to see more Black babies in the Tampa Bay area breastfeed exclusively for six months.
To see that happen, Brown Baby Brigade will give moms the help they need, Jones said.
“I want them to know that what they are doing is amazing. You’re giving them something that no one else can.”
Celebrate Black
Breastfeeding Week, Aug. 25-31
Brown Baby Brigade Community Empower- ment Fair
Robert Saunders Library 1505 N. Nebraska Ave. Saturday, Aug. 26, from 1to4p.m.
This event will fea- ture interactive discus- sions about breastfeeding and well- ness, nonprofit organi- zation and business vendors, and family fun activities. Admission is free.
For more information about the fair and breast- feeding meet-ups, visit www. brownbabybrigade.weebly.c om.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2017