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When it comes to breastfeeding, most moms know things don’t typically click overnight. It can take days, weeks – even months.
“I was determined.” Deisha Winfrey says she knew she wanted to breastfeed. But her journey to connect with her daughter Rhylin didn’t come easily.
On Jan. 20, Rhylin arrived at Nebraska Medicine. Five weeks early, weighing just 5 pounds, 3 ounces.
Deisha pumped. And pumped. And pumped more. She sought advice. And she started going to breastfeeding classes at Nebraska Medicine as soon as she could. “The staff there helped me with holding her, in showing me how her mouth should be, how I could tell the little sounds she would make and teaching me what to look for to know she was getting what she needs.”
Deisha wouldn’t give up. She pumped day, and many sleep-deprived nights. It took more than three months – until May – before she knew she had breastfeeding down. “I felt empowered when I finally got her to latch.”
There is a national effort to focus on breastfeeding in the African-American community. It’s the sixth year for Black Breastfeeding Week. The goal is to end racial disparities when it comes to breastfeeding. According to a 2011 study from the Centers for Disease Control, 64.3 percent of black women initiated breastfeeding with their babies, compared to 81 percent of white women. The numbers are slightly higher for both groups here in Nebraska, where 69.4 percent of black mothers initiated breast feeding compared to 83 percent of white mothers.
One reason cited for the racial gap in breastfeeding is the lack of diversity when it comes to the lactation field.
“Having a lactation consultant is the mother’s best shot at breastfeeding success,” says Stacia Kennedy RN, IBCLC, lead lactation consultant at Nebraska Medicine. “A more diverse lactation group could better serve our patients by helping to eliminate cultural misunderstandings. Having a lactation consultant that looks like the mother and understands her cultural nuances would be the best possible situation and we would see an increase in our breastfeeding numbers.”
While the breastfeeding rate is lower for black babies, the infant mortality rate is nearly double that of white babies. According to CDC data from 2015, twice as many black babies as white babies died before they turned one. The Department of Health and Human Services cites several benefits for breastfeeding including fewer infections and illnesses, a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and a lower rate of childhood obesity for babies who are breastfed for at least six months.
Deisha says she knew the benefits of breast milk and that’s what keeps her going now that she and Rhylin have their rhythm. “It’s your determination. If you want to do it, you’ll do it. It’s hard, but your baby is the most important thing.”
Rhylin is healthy and growing and now Deisha helps support her own breastfeeding friends and co-workers, both black and white, the way she was supported by the Nebraska Medicine lactation consultants. She tells them about the money they’ll save and how good it feels to know exactly what your baby is getting.
“You want the healthiest thing for your child, period. And there’s no greater bond with your baby.”