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Government shutdown looms after Trump-backed bill fails; Environmental groups sue CA Air Resources Board over biogas credits; NY elected officials work to electrify municipal buildings; Need a mental health boost? Talking hot dog is here.

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President-elect Trump repeats his threats to jail Jan. 6th committee members, while also putting a stop-gap spending plan in jeopardy. A court removes Fani Willis from Trump's Georgia election interference case. The FAA restricts drones in New Jersey, and a Federal Reserve rate cut shakes markets.

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Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

Advocates in NC address racial inequities in breastfeeding

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Monday, August 26, 2024   

Rates of breastfeeding in the U.S. have more than doubled since the mid-2000s but advocates pointed out racial inequities during Black Breastfeeding Week.

Initiating breastfeeding after birth has short- and long-term health benefits for babies and their mothers but rates of initiation vary widely by race, with rates for Black infants trailing others.

Janiya Mitnaul Williams, director of the lactation training program at North Carolina A&T State University, trains lactation consultants and has a term for when a new Black mother has someone in the room with shared lived experience: "The mirror-mirror effect."

"It's like one less thing that they have to explain when a person who looks like them steps into the room to help them with breastfeeding their baby," Williams pointed out.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breastfeeding was initiated for nearly 85% of white infants born in North Carolina in 2019, compared to only about 70% of Black infants; rates similar to national data.

Another barrier is what qualifies someone as a "medical professional." A doula, for example, provides support and advocacy for birthing parents, often early-on in pregnancy.

Brandi Collins-Calhoun, movement engagement manager for the National Committee for Responsible Philanthropy, said a lack of strict medical training means doulas and their peers are undervalued in traditional medical settings.

"While midwives are just getting their foot in the door, doulas are right behind them," Collins-Calhoun observed. "Lactation consultants are behind doulas."

Doulas and midwives have played important roles in communities of color for generations but Collins-Calhoun said they have been largely pushed aside by the medical industry.

Providing affordable training and mentorship are ways to help revive the practices.

Jamilla Walker, a certified nurse-midwife at Cone Health Hospital, said she hopes to see acceptance not just of these roles in the birthing space but also broader forms of community support.

"Birthing people deserve to have their people around them," Walker emphasized.

Disclosure: The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues, Immigrant Issues, Reproductive Health, and Women's Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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