Sunday, November 23, 2014
The Mechanics of Breastfeeding
It's been a few months since I've posted anything, but I am back to share a really cool, informative breastfeeding video. I originally found this video posted in a Facebook group about breastfeeding. It's not a very long film. The video quickly, yet efficiently explains a newborn's anatomy and the vital part it plays in breastfeeding. Enjoy!
Monday, August 25, 2014
Happy Black Breastfeeding Week!
Today kicks off Black Breastfeeding Week.
What better way to start things than with this short video of this AMAZING breastfeeding mother.
Happy Black Breastfeeding Week! Be encouraged!
What better way to start things than with this short video of this AMAZING breastfeeding mother.
Happy Black Breastfeeding Week! Be encouraged!
Friday, July 11, 2014
Mothers of Color! We Need Your Voices!
A friend of mine on facebook shared this via one of the groups we are apart of and now I want to pass it on to you. Below is a copy of the original post. Please consider submitting your experiences and if you are unable to then please share with someone who may be interested.
Thank you!
"Attention moms! Avital Norman Nathman, editor of "The Good Mother Myth" is working on her next book and needs your help!
Thank you!
"Attention moms! Avital Norman Nathman, editor of "The Good Mother Myth" is working on her next book and needs your help!
However, 86% of the responses are from straight, white, middle class women- more Women of Color's experiences need to be recorded!
Please take a moment to complete this survey!"
Please take a moment to complete this survey!"
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Did You Know?
That I'm beginning my own, very small business?
http://iyajay1.blogspot.com/2014/06/new-cloth-and-wet-bag-designs.html
And I am open for business!
I am currently selling cloth sanitary pads and accompanying bags. Please check out the link at the end of this post and be sure to share with friends!
*Every purchase of 4 or more comes with a free bags.
*All items are shipped together so... you only pay 1 flat rate shipping fee
*A portion of each sale goes towards funding my doula work.
***The body butters are coming and will be sold on my blog as well as Etsy***
Thank you all!
I am currently selling cloth sanitary pads and accompanying bags. Please check out the link at the end of this post and be sure to share with friends!
*Every purchase of 4 or more comes with a free bags.
*All items are shipped together so... you only pay 1 flat rate shipping fee
*A portion of each sale goes towards funding my doula work.
***The body butters are coming and will be sold on my blog as well as Etsy***
Thank you all!
http://iyajay1.blogspot.com/2014/06/new-cloth-and-wet-bag-designs.html
Friday, June 6, 2014
Upcoming Community Baby Shower!
Expecting and new moms are encouraged to attend!
This event is absolutely free so please mark your calendars and tell a friend!
Space is limited so be sure to register here to reserve your spot.
Donations are also being accepted! Refer to the website linked below if you're interested!
Babies Love Breast Milk also offers free breastfeeding support classes (open to breastfeeding mothers and mothers interested in breastfeeding) every 3rd Wednesday of each month from 7:30pm - 9:00pm and held at the West College Hill Community Center.
Please visit http://www.babieslovebreastmilk.com/ for more information on breastfeeding and postpartum services.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Privilege and Racism In The Realm of Birthwork
Status Update
By Sherry Payne
Post-racial diatribe: its what's for breakfast:
Rachel says:
May 21, 2014 at 11:07 am
I’m just curious why women of color would not feel comfortable attending an open to everyone LLL meeting? Why they need their own. As a LLL leader I’ve had women of every color and have never seen a problem with it.
Rachel says:
May 21, 2014 at 11:11 am
along the same lines, why would women of color have a more difficult time acquiring the required hours needed to sit for the IBCLC exam. I know this is a barrier and very difficult for everyone and finding a way to have a resource for all candidates would be very helpful in increasing the number of IBCLC’s in general which is always beneficial to everyone.
Reply
Sherry Payne MSN RN CNE IBCLC CD(DONA) SNM says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
May 22, 2014 at 8:56 am
Thank you Rachel for your questions I will try to address them one by one. Question 1: I know it may seem on the surface as if I am creating a racially-based division. But in fact, that division already exists. LLLI is well aware that its model of mother to mother support does not translate to communities of color and never has. While their meetings are officially ‘open to everyone,’ they do not meet the specific needs of communities of color. Their misstep is based on a common fallacy of thinking that many share. Let me give you an example: If you Rachel, ventured into say a new pediatrician’s office for your child, and the walls of the office were covered with photos of African-American families and children, you would think, “Oh, this practice is for African-American families. If you visited yet another doctor’s and found only photos of Latino families on the wall, you might think, “Oh this practice serves Latino families. However, if you found a practice that had photos on the wall of all Caucasian families, you would think, “Finally, a practice that serves everyone.” This fallacious thinking is based on culture norming that says everything ‘White’ is inclusive of everyone, making ‘Whiteness’ the norm, with everyone else measured against that standard. So now back to your first question: “why women of color would not feel comfortable attending an open to everyone LLL meeting” The truth of the matter is, those meetings are not open to everyone. They are Caucasian Normative in their style and approach, attracting White women because they were created by White women for White women (not intentionally of course- the creators just thought if it suited and fit them- it would suit and fit everyone), occur primarily in White neighborhoods, and subscribe to standards and guidelines that can be met primarily by middle-class White women. (I am aware that only a few weeks ago LLL has started to make some changes to broaden its appeal.) One or two women of color, does not diversity make. I have to wonder if you are seeing true inclusion or merely tokenism? True inclusion is purposeful, ongoing, and grows organically.
Do women of color regularly attend your meetings or just drop in occasionally? Do you have any leaders of color? Do any of your meetings take place in communities of color? Do you ever discuss issues of interest to women of color? Do women of color return and bring their friends? Do your inclusive meetings reflect the percentages present in the population as a whole? For example Black people make up about 12% of the US population, Latinos about 14%. Is that the breakdown that you see in your meetings? 26% or one quarter of your meetings are African-American and Latino women? Or did you perhaps mean that every few months, a woman of color attends one meeting or perhaps that you have one woman of color that attends regularly? I myself attended LLL for seven years as the only woman of color in my group. I had to go to a White neighborhood to do it, because there were no LLL groups in my own neighborhood. I enjoyed the ladies, and got good information, and was successful in breastfeeding several babies over that period of time. But- I had to check my cultural identity at the door to do so. I know what you are thinking, “Breastfeeding is breastfeeding, what does racial identity have to do with it?” The answer is ‘everything’. Breastfeeding is a human behavior and as such exists in a cultural context. I travel around the country teaching healthcare professionals how important it is to understand the cultural context of lactation for African-American women. We are a unique and distinct and diverse culture, with equally unique needs that go unmet in a dominant normative White culture construct around lactation. Groups like LLL send a subtle message: “Breastfeeding is for people like us.” Us being White, middle-class, stay-at-home moms with cloth diapered, amber necklace wearing, attachment style parented babies. Nothing about that description would appeal to the mamas I see everyday in my practice. Like nearly everyone else, LLL subscribes to the fallacy that they are inclusive, BECAUSE they are White, and White is the dominant culture norm, therefore it includes everyone. This of course is racist thinking at its finest. The fact of the matter is that there are disparities in breastfeeding. African-American women breastfeed at much lower rates and for much shorter intervals than their Caucasian counterparts, and the reasons for this are primarily racially-based. Healthcare providers are much less likely to discuss breastfeeding with their African-American clients prenatally. African-American women are less likely to see a Lactation Consultant in the hospital. Nurses are less likely to assist African-American women with their breastfeeding issues and offer a bottle instead. When African-American women go home from the hospital and seek out community-based support, they are likely to find it only in White neighborhoods and not in their own. Oh, and all those providers I just mentioned are likely to be White so that African-American women never see providers who look like them or share their values. This too is racism at its finest. Second question: “why would women of color have a more difficult time acquiring the required hours needed to sit for the IBCLC exam” Same answer as for question No. 1: RACISM.
You are correct in stating that finding mentors is difficult for everyone. Aspiring LCs of color have the additional burden of having very few LCs that look like them. Mentees of color, much like students of color, don’t get mentors because dominant culture mentors are uncomfortable selecting mentees of color. They want to choose someone they think they have commonalities with, someone of course who looks like them. Doing as you state, “finding a way to have a resource for all candidates would be very helpful in increasing the number of IBCLC’s in general which is always beneficial to everyone.” is not true. It would only benefit White people, because your “everyone” really only means White people, and not the ones who are suffering the disparities, who would be locked out of opportunities intended for ‘everyone’. Think about it, that is what we do now- have opportunities aimed at ‘everyone’. As a result, what percentage of LCs in the US are White? (hint: overwhelming, vast majority). We don’t need resources for ALL candidates, we need resources for underrepresented candidates, because they are being locked out of opportunities in a White dominated profession. Fewer professionals of color mean fewer women of color getting what they need. The ugly legacy of inequities and disparities continue. I know I have written an overly long response to your questions and I thank you in advance for both taking the time to read it and hopefully understanding another point of view. I think your questions are important ones, because so many Caucasian Americans are oblivious to the racial norming that keeps everyone else locked out. I believe many people believe as you do, that normative culture is every culture, but sadly this is not so. I hope that you will turn a more critical eye to your own social constructs surrounding lactation support and take the initiative to find out what you don’t know. In the meantime, I’ll keep fighting on the front lines for African-American women to get what they need to ensure breastfeeding success- the same things that normative culture women take for granted.
Rachel says:
May 21, 2014 at 11:07 am
I’m just curious why women of color would not feel comfortable attending an open to everyone LLL meeting? Why they need their own. As a LLL leader I’ve had women of every color and have never seen a problem with it.
Rachel says:
May 21, 2014 at 11:11 am
along the same lines, why would women of color have a more difficult time acquiring the required hours needed to sit for the IBCLC exam. I know this is a barrier and very difficult for everyone and finding a way to have a resource for all candidates would be very helpful in increasing the number of IBCLC’s in general which is always beneficial to everyone.
Reply
Sherry Payne MSN RN CNE IBCLC CD(DONA) SNM says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
May 22, 2014 at 8:56 am
Thank you Rachel for your questions I will try to address them one by one. Question 1: I know it may seem on the surface as if I am creating a racially-based division. But in fact, that division already exists. LLLI is well aware that its model of mother to mother support does not translate to communities of color and never has. While their meetings are officially ‘open to everyone,’ they do not meet the specific needs of communities of color. Their misstep is based on a common fallacy of thinking that many share. Let me give you an example: If you Rachel, ventured into say a new pediatrician’s office for your child, and the walls of the office were covered with photos of African-American families and children, you would think, “Oh, this practice is for African-American families. If you visited yet another doctor’s and found only photos of Latino families on the wall, you might think, “Oh this practice serves Latino families. However, if you found a practice that had photos on the wall of all Caucasian families, you would think, “Finally, a practice that serves everyone.” This fallacious thinking is based on culture norming that says everything ‘White’ is inclusive of everyone, making ‘Whiteness’ the norm, with everyone else measured against that standard. So now back to your first question: “why women of color would not feel comfortable attending an open to everyone LLL meeting” The truth of the matter is, those meetings are not open to everyone. They are Caucasian Normative in their style and approach, attracting White women because they were created by White women for White women (not intentionally of course- the creators just thought if it suited and fit them- it would suit and fit everyone), occur primarily in White neighborhoods, and subscribe to standards and guidelines that can be met primarily by middle-class White women. (I am aware that only a few weeks ago LLL has started to make some changes to broaden its appeal.) One or two women of color, does not diversity make. I have to wonder if you are seeing true inclusion or merely tokenism? True inclusion is purposeful, ongoing, and grows organically.
Do women of color regularly attend your meetings or just drop in occasionally? Do you have any leaders of color? Do any of your meetings take place in communities of color? Do you ever discuss issues of interest to women of color? Do women of color return and bring their friends? Do your inclusive meetings reflect the percentages present in the population as a whole? For example Black people make up about 12% of the US population, Latinos about 14%. Is that the breakdown that you see in your meetings? 26% or one quarter of your meetings are African-American and Latino women? Or did you perhaps mean that every few months, a woman of color attends one meeting or perhaps that you have one woman of color that attends regularly? I myself attended LLL for seven years as the only woman of color in my group. I had to go to a White neighborhood to do it, because there were no LLL groups in my own neighborhood. I enjoyed the ladies, and got good information, and was successful in breastfeeding several babies over that period of time. But- I had to check my cultural identity at the door to do so. I know what you are thinking, “Breastfeeding is breastfeeding, what does racial identity have to do with it?” The answer is ‘everything’. Breastfeeding is a human behavior and as such exists in a cultural context. I travel around the country teaching healthcare professionals how important it is to understand the cultural context of lactation for African-American women. We are a unique and distinct and diverse culture, with equally unique needs that go unmet in a dominant normative White culture construct around lactation. Groups like LLL send a subtle message: “Breastfeeding is for people like us.” Us being White, middle-class, stay-at-home moms with cloth diapered, amber necklace wearing, attachment style parented babies. Nothing about that description would appeal to the mamas I see everyday in my practice. Like nearly everyone else, LLL subscribes to the fallacy that they are inclusive, BECAUSE they are White, and White is the dominant culture norm, therefore it includes everyone. This of course is racist thinking at its finest. The fact of the matter is that there are disparities in breastfeeding. African-American women breastfeed at much lower rates and for much shorter intervals than their Caucasian counterparts, and the reasons for this are primarily racially-based. Healthcare providers are much less likely to discuss breastfeeding with their African-American clients prenatally. African-American women are less likely to see a Lactation Consultant in the hospital. Nurses are less likely to assist African-American women with their breastfeeding issues and offer a bottle instead. When African-American women go home from the hospital and seek out community-based support, they are likely to find it only in White neighborhoods and not in their own. Oh, and all those providers I just mentioned are likely to be White so that African-American women never see providers who look like them or share their values. This too is racism at its finest. Second question: “why would women of color have a more difficult time acquiring the required hours needed to sit for the IBCLC exam” Same answer as for question No. 1: RACISM.
You are correct in stating that finding mentors is difficult for everyone. Aspiring LCs of color have the additional burden of having very few LCs that look like them. Mentees of color, much like students of color, don’t get mentors because dominant culture mentors are uncomfortable selecting mentees of color. They want to choose someone they think they have commonalities with, someone of course who looks like them. Doing as you state, “finding a way to have a resource for all candidates would be very helpful in increasing the number of IBCLC’s in general which is always beneficial to everyone.” is not true. It would only benefit White people, because your “everyone” really only means White people, and not the ones who are suffering the disparities, who would be locked out of opportunities intended for ‘everyone’. Think about it, that is what we do now- have opportunities aimed at ‘everyone’. As a result, what percentage of LCs in the US are White? (hint: overwhelming, vast majority). We don’t need resources for ALL candidates, we need resources for underrepresented candidates, because they are being locked out of opportunities in a White dominated profession. Fewer professionals of color mean fewer women of color getting what they need. The ugly legacy of inequities and disparities continue. I know I have written an overly long response to your questions and I thank you in advance for both taking the time to read it and hopefully understanding another point of view. I think your questions are important ones, because so many Caucasian Americans are oblivious to the racial norming that keeps everyone else locked out. I believe many people believe as you do, that normative culture is every culture, but sadly this is not so. I hope that you will turn a more critical eye to your own social constructs surrounding lactation support and take the initiative to find out what you don’t know. In the meantime, I’ll keep fighting on the front lines for African-American women to get what they need to ensure breastfeeding success- the same things that normative culture women take for granted.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Breastfeeding Debate? Again? What Is There To Debate?!
Excuse the misspellings, but I just wanted to share with you all my comment to a post regarding the latest article going around about a mother breastfeeding her daughter at the age of 5. I was in the minority with my views. Sadly it's the mindset of majority of people in our society. Damnit ya'll! We have to do better!
"I see nothing wrong at all. Personally would i breastfeed my 5yr old for everyone to see? No. But in the privacy of my home it would be a go. i breast fed my youngest til she was 3 (most of it was comfort nursing by that age and no simply expressing milk into a cup would not do. Sucking at the breast provided a sort of soothing that would calm her fits, restlessness, and sickness)... she weaned herself, but i would have continued if she wanted to. i hate the stigma attached to breastfeeding. Our milk does not lose any nutrition or use when a child hits a certain age. It purposefully changes it's properties to accommodate a growing child. It's neither demented nor sexual. i dedicate my work to encouraging and supporting breastfeeding mothers of color... a demographic who suffers the lowest rates of breastfeeding. And i know many who wants to breastfeed as long as they can whether the age be 1, 2, 3, or 5, but stops early or don't do it for as long as they could or want because of uninformed backlash. 'They're too old. If they can ask for it they don't need it. If they can chew and swallow the they need to be weaned.' etc. It should be encouraged rather than shunned. Maybe not the same scenario as this person in the pic because her demographic has the highest rates of breastfeeding and support. But that doesn't negate the positive attributes of extended breastfeeding."
Here's the article: http://www.kpho.com/story/25345687/breastfeeding-mom-still-feeds-daughter-at-age-5
Let's stop demonizing and sexualizing a mother and child's choice to continue breastfeeding beyond the societal norm.
"I see nothing wrong at all. Personally would i breastfeed my 5yr old for everyone to see? No. But in the privacy of my home it would be a go. i breast fed my youngest til she was 3 (most of it was comfort nursing by that age and no simply expressing milk into a cup would not do. Sucking at the breast provided a sort of soothing that would calm her fits, restlessness, and sickness)... she weaned herself, but i would have continued if she wanted to. i hate the stigma attached to breastfeeding. Our milk does not lose any nutrition or use when a child hits a certain age. It purposefully changes it's properties to accommodate a growing child. It's neither demented nor sexual. i dedicate my work to encouraging and supporting breastfeeding mothers of color... a demographic who suffers the lowest rates of breastfeeding. And i know many who wants to breastfeed as long as they can whether the age be 1, 2, 3, or 5, but stops early or don't do it for as long as they could or want because of uninformed backlash. 'They're too old. If they can ask for it they don't need it. If they can chew and swallow the they need to be weaned.' etc. It should be encouraged rather than shunned. Maybe not the same scenario as this person in the pic because her demographic has the highest rates of breastfeeding and support. But that doesn't negate the positive attributes of extended breastfeeding."
Here's the article: http://www.kpho.com/story/25345687/breastfeeding-mom-still-feeds-daughter-at-age-5
Let's stop demonizing and sexualizing a mother and child's choice to continue breastfeeding beyond the societal norm.
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