August 1st is always a special day to me. Not only is it my youngest daughter’s birthday; it is also the start of National Breastfeeding Month and World Breastfeeding Week.
I only nursed my firstborn for two weeks. A 75 hour long labor, an unplanned c-section, bilateral mastitis, apathetic nurses, nipple shields, supplementation, jaundice, chorioamnionitis concerns, and some truly horrendous advice from a lactation consultant were just some of the obstacles we struggled to overcome. When I pumped for what felt like the 8,000th time and the bottle looked like it was filled with strawberry milk because there was so much blood mixed in, I quit. And I was devastated. Only two weeks as a mother and already I felt I’d failed in so many ways.
I know now that of course that’s not true. My formula fed child is eight, and happy, and healthy. But all of my challenges only left me determined to be more successful the next time. I read, I learned, I reached out for support, and my next two children were breastfed for over two years each. My passion for breastfeeding became a passion for women’s health that led me to nursing school and will eventually lead me to a DNP in Midwifery.
Breastfeeding is natural, but it does not come naturally. I believe so strongly that every person who wants to nurse their child should be given the education, tools, and support to succeed. It is my desire to equip families in that journey, including Black and Indigenous mothers who face the additional barriers of generational trauma and systemic racism. Fortunately, there are wonderful resources like @blkbfingweek @nativebreastfeedingweek @blacktivist @bwdbf and @sanantonionursemidwife who are lifting up Black and Indigenous communities and working to overcome these barriers. I cannot ever fully understand what it is like to be BIPOC but I can be intentionally antiracist, working to recognize and overcome my own biases, to call out systemic racism when I see it, and to support and amplify the voices of my BIPOC peers and colleagues. **