Human Milk vs. Formula is a false choice. We MUST fight the system, not the family.
May 26, 2022
Dear Breastfeeding Supporters,
If you’ve been in meetings with me, you have probably heard me say some version of the following already. But, in light of all the ongoing formula shortage and contamination crisis, I’m going to say it again in the hope that, together, we can reshape the dialogue around human milk feeding and who is to blame for the current formula crisis. Spoiler alert – it’s not parents or breastfeeding supporters.
TL;DR – We must fight the system, not the family. Breastfeeding supporters must demand systemic support for human milk feeding.
In this country, whether to breastfeed is not a choice. In this country, whether to breastfeed is a question of “Within all the systems of oppression that I navigate, what is the best combination of things I can do to equip my baby, myself, and the rest of my family for survival?” Sometimes, breastfeeding doesn’t fit into a family’s survival strategy and that’s not okay.
Human milk is the foundation of life. The World Health Organization cites breastfeeding as the most cost-effective strategy to improve maternal-child health and recommends early initiation, exclusive breastfeeding for six months, and continued breastfeeding for at least two years of age and beyond. (1) When natural weaning is practiced, complete weaning usually takes place between two and four years of age. (2) Human milk provides protection against infection, illness, and chronic disease from infancy and through the life course. We know that human milk benefits parents, children, families, and society – It is integral to healthy development – immunological, physical, and emotional. In a society better organized than ours, breastfeeding would fit – every time. It’s not okay, but it’s also not the parent’s fault when it doesn’t fit. The barriers to breastfeeding that families face are rooted in systemic oppression and are oftentimes impossible to overcome.
Every birthing parent I’ve ever met is doing the best they can with the tools they have to navigate the systems they encounter. Breastfeeding is not the problem – in fact, it’s the foundation of a healthy life. Parents are not the problem – they would fight to the ends of the earth to make sure their family has the best they can. It’s the systems of oppression – capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy – that create a false choice. And, quite frankly, it’s also these systems of oppression that are strengthened when we all stand around, blaming each other for the ways we navigate those systems rather than collaborating to dismantle them.
How do I know this? Well, ask yourself or any of the parents you currently believe “chose not to breastfeed,” the following question:
If your life was set up in the following way, would you still have “chosen not to breastfeed?”
- Guaranteed living wage for you and your family
- 2 years of paid family leave for you/the birthing person, and your partner
- Free, on-site child care when you return to work with caregivers who understand and can support you with providing human milk to your child
- Skilled, easily accessible, and timely lactation support whenever you need it by people who you trust and who reflect your culture and values
- Skilled, easily accessible, and timely support from health care providers who reflect your culture and values, and are educated on how to support your breastfeeding relationship as they help you to improve your physical and/or mental health – including warm hand-offs to skilled lactation care
- A culture – including within your family, friendships, work, the businesses you frequent, and your faith community – that supports you to breastfeed with encouragement, resources, and accommodations wherever you go
- No history within your family or your own person of the loss of safety or bodily autonomy through any forms of state violence, sexual violence, or other exploitation of your body. And, if you do have that history, you were believed, all perpetrators have been held accountable, and you were provided (free of financial burden) all of the medical, mental health, and other support you needed to heal prior to birthing your baby. (Yes, that would absolutely include reparations for Black and Indigenous families)
- Full understanding of the benefits of breastfeeding and the health risks to your baby for consuming formula
Have you ever even met a person whose life is structured like this? And, if so, did you ask them if they chose not to breastfeed? What did they say? I’m willing to bet that the percentage of people who “choose not to breastfeed” plummets under these conditions. THIS is what we need to work towards. Settling for less is like sticking a small bandage on a gaping wound and hoping it’ll heal. Breastfeeding outcomes aren’t going to improve if we keep accepting the current nonsense.
Yet, here we are, living without these basic protections on a daily basis. I’ve never met one single person in the U.S. who lives with all the support structures I outlined above. I’ve met many people who have had some of these supports and beat the odds to breastfeed until their natural age of weaning anyway. But, this is absolutely not the norm we are working toward.
In this country, there isn’t a true choice whether to breastfeed. In Michigan, 85 percent of families start breastfeeding, yet only 58 percent continue to breastfeed at three months of age, and by six months of age exclusive breastfeeding drops to 25.8 percent. This isn’t about choice. When the choice is presented, families choose to breastfeed. (3) But, by six months, only a quarter of Michigan families have the resources, support, time, and opportunities to continue providing human milk to their children. Families risk higher rates of leukemia, cancer, diarrhea, ear infections, SIDS, diabetes, ADHD, heart disease, and so on, because the risk of those diseases in the future feels more survivable than breastfeeding today. That’s not breastfeeding’s fault. That’s not the parent’s fault. That’s the fault of the systems of oppression we navigate.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We can demand better. We MUST demand better. The formula crisis is just the latest crisis (Reminder: Flint, Michigan still doesn’t have clean water) that shines light on the fact that breastfeeding saves lives and everything that gets in the way of successful breastfeeding harms all of us.
We are in a formula crisis in this country for several reasons, including racism, generational trauma for Black and Indigenous folx due to forced separation, lack of systemic support, predatory formula marketing tactics that preemptively and explicitly target the families most marginalized by our current systems, and contaminated infant formula supplies. (4) More than half of birthing families are exposed to aggressive formula marketing during their pregnancy, (5) and one in five birthing people in the U.S. return to work within two weeks of giving birth. (6) It’s no wonder formula feels like the only feasible option for so many. It must be said – and repeated – that this crisis is particularly harmful and dangerous for Black and Indigenous families because the systems that oppress everyone were specifically built to oppress Black and Indigenous families. And, the predatory formula companies who harm everyone, are especially predatory in communities of color. (7)
And, let’s also be clear: as a community that understands the mechanics of human lactation, we are fully aware that some people cannot physically breastfeed. We understand why formula was developed, and that it has a place in our society today. We’re not advocating here for the abolition of human milk substitutes. That’s a whole other conversation. We’re talking about the false “choice” of whether to breastfeed or not.
Now is NOT the time to tell families – especially Black and/or Indigenous families – they HAVE to breastfeed and shame them when they cannot.
Now is NOT the time to shame breastfeeding supporters – especially Black and Indigenous birth workers who are at the front lines of the ongoing lead contaminated water crises, COVID-19 pandemic, and this formula crisis – that they aren’t doing enough. Black and Indigenous birth workers, like the members of Mi Milk Collective and the MIBFN CORE Cohort are very skilled, but they are only one part of the broader systems. They serve families against the backdrop of a medicalized birthing system that doesn’t support Black and Indigenous families and does not value their time or expertise in this work. Within the birth system, they too need structural support that values – through shared power and equitable compensation – their unique role in caring for the breastfeeding dyad. They also need every other system to become breastfeeding-supportive so they aren’t always navigating impossible situations alongside families. It doesn’t have to be this hard.
NOW is the time to make breastfeeding more feasible with systemic, structural support.
The conditions I outlined above are feasible, reasonable, and necessary. If our lawmakers can bail out formula companies who continuously fail our families, (8) then they can certainly pass breastfeeding-supportive legislation.
Families and breastfeeding supporters didn’t cause this crisis, but they should be at the center of – and well compensated for – developing community based, equity-centered solutions, rather than just throwing more money at the status quo and hoping for better outcomes.
Let’s demand better. Let’s fight systems, not families.
In solidarity,
Shannon
P.S. If you feel inspired to take action today, here are some things you can do:
- Advocate for support of the PUMP Act in the US Senate. This legislation does not solve everything listed above, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. Action is needed THIS WEEK to move this legislation forward.
- Normalize community milk sharing. MIBFN and YOLO recently launched a social marketing campaign called “My Milk, My Right to Share It.” There is absolutely no reason to keep telling families that we should trust cow’s milk and formula companies more than we trust each other.
- Get clear and get loud about how and why this formula crisis is impacting so many families – Black and Indigenous families in particular. The Breastfeeding and Emergencies Working Group recently launched a social marketing campaign and resource to shine light on this crisis, and how companies like Abbott Labs have created a false dependence on their harmful substance.
- Donate to support the efforts of folks throughout Michigan who are helping families through the ongoing formula recall/shortage. Skilled lactation supporters of the MIBFN CORE Cohort live and work throughout Michigan and can support families with community milk sharing, relactation, feeding challenges, finding formula in their community, and more. Click here, select “Make a one-time donation,” and type “CORE Cohort” in the comment box.
References
- Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. Geneva: World Health Organization. (2003). Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding#:~:text=WHO%20and%20UNICEF%20recommend%3A,years%20of%20age%20or%20beyond
- Sugarman, J. and Kendall-Tackett, K. (1995). “Weaning ages and a sample of American women who practice extended breastfeeding.” Clinical Pediatrics. 34:642–7.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breastfeeding Report Card. (2020). Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/2020-Breastfeeding-Report-Card-H.pdf
- Avery, D. (23 May 2022). “Baby Formula Shortage, Explained: Why It’s Happening and When It Could End.” CNET. Available at:
- https://www.cnet.com/health/parenting/baby-formula-shortage-explained-why-its-happening-and-when-it-could-end/
- World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund. (22 February 2022). Report: How the marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240044609
- The National Partnership for Women and Families. (February 2022). “Paid Leave Means a Stronger Michigan.” Available at: https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/economic-justice/paid-leave/paid-leave-means-a-stronger-michigan.pdf
- Harrison, A. K. (2020). Using Black Lives as If They Don’t Matter: The Famous Four and Other Serious Stories of Capitalism and White Supremacy. Cal. WL Rev., 57, 291.
- H.R.7791 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022. (2022, May 21). http://www.congress.gov/
Statement in Solidarity with Lyoya Family
April 26, 2022
Dear Breastfeeding Supporters,
On April 4, 2022, another life of an unarmed Black man was stolen when he was executed by police in broad daylight on a street in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While it is not a surprise, our hearts ache and we mourn for Patrick Lyoya and his family. For over 400 years, police have brutalized, tormented, violated, abused, racially profiled, and murdered Black and Indigenous bodies. And, for years, activists and advocacy leaders in Grand Rapids have pleaded with city officials for police reform and overhaul. Time and time again, we are reminded that Black bodies are not valued, and, yet again, the life of another Black man was taken when Patrick Lyoya was brutalized and shot in the back of the head by police.
Patrick Lyoya was a son, brother, friend, and father of two young daughters. Patrick fled from Democratic Republic of the Congo with his family due to violence in 2014 and came to the United States to presumably feel safer and yet, he wasn’t. He was shot in the back of the head during an otherwise routine stop. His children no longer have their father. Systemic racism is embedded in the systems of this country and it continues to place innocent people in danger every day. Racial profiling has long been a problem within the Grand Rapids Police Department and they need to be held accountable for their actions. Taxpayer dollars fund the city police and the funds are not paid to brutalize their fellow citizens. Police brutality is another example of systemic racism present in the current systems that are built on the backs of the most marginalized citizens.
“It is hard to even put my feelings into words – angry is an understatement. I feel so sick about the ongoing police violence against Black bodies and even more so with it being in my local community. It is horrifying how the system has continued to protect the perpetrator as our community mourns alongside the Lyoya family,” says Kaitlyn Bowen, MS, RD, CLC, Communications and Data Manager, Michigan Breastfeeding Network.
Racism and systemic oppression are public health emergencies. Police brutality and violence are directly linked to Black maternal health outcomes. The ongoing trauma done to Black bodies takes its toll on birthing people from preconception to pregnancy all the way through birth and the postpartum period. The term weathering refers to how the constant stress of racism can lead to premature aging and health inequities for Black people. (1) In light of police brutality specifically impacting Black individuals, this unrelenting fear of violence, anxiety, and toxic stress results in negative health outcomes for Black birthing persons and their children. Data shows that even the threat of anticipated police brutality is a source of stress during pregnancy and adversely affects both maternal and infant health. (2, 3, 4) In Michigan, and across the country, Black infant and maternal mortality is an ongoing crisis. Black women are 2.4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes and Black infants are 3 times more likely to die within the first year of life. (5, 6) These health inequities are exacerbated by ongoing police violence and other systemic brutality aimed at communities of color. Police brutality must be addressed in Grand Rapids, and in every community, to prevent further harm against Black birthing people and their children. (2)
“The constant and unrestrained mental and emotional injury to Black families and communities that result from aggressive and deadly policing reverberates throughout multiple intersecting health pathways leading to adverse health outcomes. Mortality and morbidity, the burden of stress from racist public reaction and blame, financial strain from unwarranted legal, medical, and funeral bills and oppressive structures that cause systemic disempowerment are overwhelming. This seemingly infinite grieving of my Black community is exhausting,” shares Bonita Agee, BS, CLC, Education Coordinator, Strong Beginnings-Healthy Start.
“We know there’s a correlation with Black men and women in particular and PTSD. The conversations around ‘post’ insinuate one has been removed from that space. Post-traumatic stress disorder and the symptomatology are connected to our past but AIN’T SHIT ‘post’ about this! It is every day – the constant, continual, management of trauma and we all feel it. We feel it when we birth our babies into systems that don’t value the Black body. Doctors are to Black women what police officers are to Black men as we continue to see our women dying as they usher in life. We feel it the moment we hear, ‘it’s a boy!’ We feel it when our fathers are taken from their families due to senseless violence at the hands of folks not from our community. We cannot continue to allow our families to be broken and left to deal with the trauma with no consequence or resources. We are tired,” shares Kiara Baskin, CD, CLC, Founder and Principal, Bump to Birth Doula Services.
We stand in solidarity with the Lyoya family. In our fight for birth and breastfeeding justice, we denounce all forms of systemic violence perpetrated against Black and Indigenous bodies. We call for justice in this and every case of systemic violence.
Take Action:
- Educate yourself on the intersection of police violence against unarmed Black men and disparate maternal/infant health outcomes
- Donate to the Lyoya family
- Call your local police department to demand they operationalize strategies to prevent police killings of unarmed Black men and are trained to de-escalate conflict
- Contribute to Bump To Birth Doula Services as they work at the front lines of saving Black maternal and infant lives in the Grand Rapids community by donating at mibreastfeeding.org/donate and typing “Bump to Birth” in the comment box.
In solidarity,
MIBFN Team
References
- Geronimus A. T. (1992). The weathering hypothesis and the health of African-American women and infants: evidence and speculations. Ethnicity & disease, 2(3), 207–221.
- Mehra, R., Alspaugh, A., Franck, L.S. et al. (2022) “Police shootings, now that seems to be the main issue” – Black pregnant women’s anticipation of police brutality towards their children. BMC Public Health 22(146). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12557-7
- Premkumar, A, Nseyo, O., Jackson, A. (2017). Connecting Police Violence with Reproductive Health. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 129(1), 153-156 https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000001731
- Alang, S., McAlpine, D., McCreedy, E., & Hardeman, R. (2017). Police Brutality and Black Health: Setting the Agenda for Public Health Scholars. American journal of public health, 107(5), 662–665. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303691
- Petersen EE, Davis NL, Goodman D, et al. (2019). Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Pregnancy-Related Deaths — United States, 2007–2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 68:762–765. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6835a3
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC 2020. Infant Mortality Statistics from the 2018 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set. National Vital Statistics Reports. Table 2. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr69/NVSR-69-7-508.pdf
Take Action – Call Your Legislators!
February 8, 2022
Hello, breastfeeding supporter!
As you have probably heard, there are a few pieces of proposed legislation that relate to how our federal laws account for the fact that many workers are also parents – and the overwhelming majority of parents must work outside the home in order to survive.
Some folks have reached out to us to ask – “how do these different bills relate to one another”? We hear you, this can be confusing. So, we put together a document that we hope helps you to sort through the language and see what legislation would do what. Big thanks to the Center for Worklife Law for helping us sort through it ourselves! We hope you find this useful in your education, advocacy, and lobbying efforts. Here is a link to that resource.
In the next few days, you’ll see MIBFN do a push in solidarity with a coalition of advocates around the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Please consider reaching out to your state’s Senators (in Michigan, that’s Senator Gary Peters and Senator Debbie Stabenow) to voice your support of these increased protections. You have a chance to act right now and I hope you’ll take it.
As a reminder, you can take action leveraging your experience and expertise as a professional within your organization, as a parent, and/or as a member of a community that would benefit. Our families need increased protections, and you know that as well as anyone. You’ve felt the struggle alongside families and we must speak truth to power. Your voice is needed in this fight! If there is anything I can do to support you in your advocacy efforts, through whatever lens and communications tool feels appropriate to you, I’m here and would be honored to serve alongside you. Please reach out!
In solidarity,
Shannon
Statement in Solidarity with Syesha Mercado
August 26, 2021
Dear Breastfeeding Supporters,
We, the undersigned Black and Indigenous members of the MIBFN CORE Cohort, join the many birth and breastfeeding justice advocates in calling for the immediate return of Syesha Mercado and Tyron Deneer’s breastfeeding children (1), both forcibly removed from their care by Child Protective Services of Florida based on false charges of medical neglect. (2) As of August 20, 2021, the couple’s infant has been returned to their care. The fight to bring 15-month old Amen’Ra home continues.
Everyone who serves to care for children and families must understand the history and context of the US foster system. This system was built on forced separation of Black and Indigenous families. (3,4) And, to this day, Child Protective Services disproportionately impacts Black and Indigenous families at much higher rates than white families. (5) This system consistently punishes families of color, demonizing the traditional practices of BIPOC families and forcibly tearing them apart. (6) Both Black and Indigenous children are overrepresented in CPS investigations and at a greater risk than other children of being confirmed for maltreatment and placed in out-of-home care. (7) Black families are twice as likely to be investigated than white families and 53 percent of Black children have been investigated by the age of 18. (8,9) Indigenous children are two times more likely to be investigated, two times more likely to have allegations of abuse substantiated, and four times more likely to be placed in foster care than white children. (10)
Further, in this case, one of the children was a newborn and the family was seeking support at the hospital with breastfeeding. (11) As breastfeeding supporters, how are we to build trust with families if they live under the constant threat of family separation for seeking feeding support? The events surrounding Syesha Mercado and her family exemplify how implicit bias and racism in the CPS and medical systems perpetuate harm on BIPOC families and negatively influence infant feeding decisions.
Breastfeeding is not a lifestyle choice, it is both a public health and racial equity imperative. Children must not be forcibly removed from their breast/bodyfeeding parent.
We urge you to take action in supporting Syesha and Tyron and their efforts to reunite their family.
Here are some ways to take action:
- Learn: Read more here
- Amplify and spread awareness: #BringRaHome
- Follow: @Syesha on Instagram to donate
- Sign the petition to send the children home and drop the case
- Dismantle barriers: Work with your local CPS and Foster programs to ensure their staff are actively working to account for and minimize racial bias in their efforts.
- Learn more about MIBFN policy priorities: here
In Solidarity,
Jennifer Day, IBCLC, RLC
Michigan Breastfeeding Network
Southeast Michigan IBCLCs of Color
Kiara Baskin, CD, CLC
Kaitlyn Bowen, MS, RD, CLC
Michigan Breastfeeding Network
Mariah Eldridge
Sacred Bundle Birthworker Collective
Tameka Jackson-Dyer, BASc, IBCLC, CHW
Southeast Michigan IBCLCs of Color
Metro Detroit/ Wayne County Breastfeeding Coalition
Sekeita Lewis-Johnson, DNP FNP-BC IBCLC
Southeast Michigan IBCLCs of Color
Raeanne Madison, MPH
Michigan Breastfeeding Network
Sacred Bundle Birthworker Collective
Lindsey McGahey, IBC, IFSD, BE
Sacred Bundle Birthworker Collective
Panoramic Doula
Micaela McHenry
Sacred Bundle Birthworker Collective
Bianca Nash-Miot, CLC
Anesha Stanley, CD, BD, PCD, CCE
Full Circle Doula Services, LLC
Tameka White, CLS
About the MIBFN CORE Cohort: This cohort is currently composed of 12 Black and Indigenous breastfeeding supporters and organizations who have chosen collaboration over competition. We were initially awarded mini grants through MDHHS and Michigan Breastfeeding Network to advance our work, centering Black and Indigenous families in the reclamation and restoration of traditional birth and breast/bodyfeeding practices that have sustained our families for centuries. Our work is initially focused in the areas of COVID-19, young mothers and fathers, and Child Care. We work collaboratively in sisterhood (not cis-terhood) to network, incubate, take action, and achieve outcomes in solidarity with the families in our communities. To learn more, visit www.mibreastfeeding.org and click “community building”.
References
- Operation Stop CPS, Bring Ra and Ast home (Active), available at: https://operation-stop-cps.mykajabi.com/Operation-Bring-Amen%E2%80%99Ra-Home
- Ibid.
- Holden, V. (25 July 2018). “Slavery and America’s Legacy of Forced Separation.” Black Perspectives, available at: https://www.aaihs.org/slavery-and-americas-legacy-of-family-separation/
- Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACS/HHS, “Child Welfare Practice to Address Disproportionality and Disparity,” available at: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/racial_disproportionality.pdf
- Roberts, D., and Sangoi, L. (26 March 2018). “Black Families Matter: How the Child Welfare System Punishes Poor Families of Color,” available at: https://theappeal.org/black-families-matter-how-the-child-welfare-system-punishes-poor-families-of-color-33ad20e2882e/
- Ibid.
- Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACS/HHS, “Child Welfare Practice to Address Disproportionality and Disparity,” available at: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/racial_disproportionality.pdf
- Hill, Robert. (2007). Casey-CSSP Alliance for Racial Equity in the Child Welfare System, Synthesis of Research on Disproportionality, 15, available at: https://assets.aecf.org/m/resourceimg/aecf-AnalysisofRacialEthnicDisproportionality-2007.pdf
- Hyunil, K., and Wildeman, C., et al. (2017). “Lifetime Prevalence of Investigating Child Maltreatment Among US Children.” American Journal of Public Health (107): 2 274-280. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303545
- National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), (2019) “2019 Report on Disproportionality of Placements of Indian Children,”: https://www.nicwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Disproportionality-Table-2019.pdf
Operation Stop CPS, Bring Ra and Ast home (Active), available at: https://operation-stop-cps.mykajabi.com/Operation-Bring-Amen%E2%80%99Ra-Home
Statement in Solidarity with Indigenous Families
Updated August 3, 2021
Dear Breastfeeding Supporters,
As the ongoing health crisis of COVID-19 continues, there are renewed surges in infections and hospitalizations among people who contract the virus, especially among the unvaccinated population. Due to the rise of cases among the unvaccinated and the emergence of the Delta variant in many places around the United States, we stand with the CDC’s revised guidelines as of July 27, 2021 (1). In short, the CDC advises that vaccinated people in areas of substantial or high transmission around the country should wear masks indoors (2). Additionally, CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status (3). This guidance ensures that the most vulnerable among us continue to be protected by those that are able to be vaccinated yet able to spread the virus unknowingly. The message from the CDC is that mitigation works and that taking steps to protect ourselves and others is solid public health policy.
In any ongoing health crisis, the behavior of the general population has an impact on the most marginalized among us. Continuing to wear a mask, social distancing, and practicing good hand hygiene, even among the vaccinated, helps to keep transmission of the disease low, decreases death, and, ultimately, saves lives. Health experts say vaccination will be the most effective tool at stopping the pandemic, which has killed over 600,000 Americans thus far(4). As school approaches, mandating masks for elementary-aged children and school staff also helps to protect the vulnerable population of young children who cannot yet be vaccinated and should be implemented in every state.
Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put various groups of people at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19, including many racial and ethnic minority groups and pregnant and birthing persons (5).
- Studies have shown people from racial and ethnic minority groups are also dying from COVID-19 at younger ages. People in minority groups are often younger when they develop chronic medical conditions and may be more likely to have more than one condition.
- Pregnant and recently pregnant people (for at least 42 days following end of pregnancy) are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people. (6)
Centering the most vulnerable among us will help to combat this pandemic and push for policy changes that protect women, children, low-income families, and all BIPOC folks at all times, not only during health crises.
In solidarity,
Breastfeeding in Emergencies Working Group
Bonita Agee, BS, CLC
Kaitlyn Bowen, MS, RD, LDN
Gi’Anna Cheairs, BS
Jennifer Day, IBCLC, RLC
Rosa Gardiner, IBCLC
Caty Jolley, CD (BAI)
Shannon McKenney Shubert, MPH, CLC
Mistel de Varona, IBCLC, RLC
Rickeshia Williams, CLC, BD
Vicki Wood, CLC, CLS
References:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID 19 Integrated County View, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
- Updated August 4, 2021, https://covidusa.net/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Certain Medical Conditions and Risk for Sever COVID-19 Illness, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html
- Ibid.
Statement in Solidarity with Indigenous Families
June 3, 2021
Dear Breastfeeding Supporters,
Like many of you, we are mourning alongside Indigenous colleagues and families as the remains of more than 215 children were found on land that was once Kamloops Indian Residential School, the largest residential school for Indigenous children in Canada (1). We know that this tragedy is not isolated as residential schools existed from the 19th century into the 1980s in both the United States and Canada, accounting for over 200,000 Indigenous children separated from their families under harmful assimilation policies (2).
The forced separation of children and dissolution of families causes permanent emotional, psychological, and physical damage and this discovery highlights the ongoing trauma for Indigenous families (3). The deaths and subsequent lies about these deaths have caused irreversible harm to generations of Indigenous people. These children and their families deserved to live freely on their lands, without the terrorism of colonization, boarding schools, missing children, and unexplained deaths.
We stand in solidarity with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Community and all Indigenous families. Why must it even be said that families should not be separated and children should not be murdered? This should be the minimum expectation. In light of this, and knowing that similar atrocities occurred throughout the US until quite recently, we join the founders of Native Breastfeeding Week in calling for the US Government to bring the truth to light about the boarding schools within our borders and stand in solidarity with those calling for reparations and land back to Indigenous families (4).
We can never get back these precious lives that were stolen. But, we can heal the future. In the face of this ongoing trauma, supporting Indigenous birth and breastfeeding workers must be a central priority for all of us. In the words of Lindsey McGahey, Indigenous Breastfeeding Counselor and Indigenous Full Spectrum Doula, “The work we are doing today to reclaim traditional birth and breastfeeding practices is so necessary for us to heal the trauma and pain caused to our families by the US government. IBCs are knowledge keepers – we are healing our people through birthing practices that affirm our ancestral knowledge. As much as I am grieving, this recent news has also lit a fire in me to keep going.”
Please consider investing in Indigenous birth and breastfeeding workers who are bearing the weight of the atrocities committed at boarding schools in the US and Canada. Here are a few opportunities to invest in the people and organizations leading efforts to reclaim Indigenous Breastfeeding traditions locally:
- Lindsey McGahey, IBC, IFSD (visit mibreastfeeding.org/donate and type “Lindsey” in the memo line. 100% of your donation will go to Lindsey)
- Postpartum Healing Lodge (to donate, visit mibreastfeeding.org/donateand type “Postpartum Healing Lodge” in the memo line. 100% of your donation will go to the Postpartum Healing Lodge)
In solidarity,
MIBFN board & staff
References
- Associated Press. “More Than 200 Bodies Found at Indigenous Boarding School in Canada”. CBS News. May 31, 2021. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/215-bodies-found-canada-indigenous-school
- Smith, Andrea. “Soul Wound: The Legacy of Native American Schools”, Amnesty Magazine, from Amnesty International website, “Archived copy.” Archived from the original on February 8, 2006.
- https://www.traumainformederie.org/single-post/2018/06/20/Psychological-Impact-of-Forced-Separation-of-Families-on-Children
- Native Breastfeeding Week post on May 31, 2021 https://www.facebook.com/NativeBreastfeedingWeek/posts/512892150070521
Take Action to Support the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
May 25, 2021
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) has passed the House! Thank you to A Better Balance: The Work & Family Legal Center, United States Breastfeeding Committee, and all the groups and organizers who are leading advocacy efforts in support of the PWFA. Now, it’s onto the Senate and we encourage YOU and all breastfeeding supporters to take action by sharing your support of this Act with your senators and community.
CALLING ALL BREASTFEEDING SUPPORTERS
TAKE ACTION!
Share your support of the PWFA with your senators and community!
- Contact your senators to let them know that you want them to support this legislation or call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and a switchboard operator will connect you directly with your senators’ offices.
- Amplify social media posts by organizations who have endorsed this legislation like A Better Balance: The Work & Family Legal Center, the United States Breastfeeding Committee, and more!
- Use this sample script to take action
Source:
Take Action to Support the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
May 25, 2021
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) has passed the House! Thank you to A Better Balance: The Work & Family Legal Center, United States Breastfeeding Committee, and all the groups and organizers who are leading advocacy efforts in support of the PWFA. Now, it’s onto the Senate and we encourage YOU and all breastfeeding supporters to take action by sharing your support of this Act with your senators and community.
CALLING ALL BREASTFEEDING SUPPORTERS
TAKE ACTION!
Share your support of the PWFA with your senators and community!
- Contact your senators to let them know that you want them to support this legislation or call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and a switchboard operator will connect you directly with your senators’ offices.
- Amplify social media posts by organizations who have endorsed this legislation like A Better Balance: The Work & Family Legal Center, the United States Breastfeeding Committee, and more!
- Use this sample script to take action
Source:
*UPDATED- August 3rd 2021* MIBFN: Open Letter Regarding Updated COVID-19 Masking Recommendations
Dear Breastfeeding Supporters,
As the ongoing health crisis of COVID-19 continues, there are renewed surges in infections and hospitalizations among people who contract the virus, especially among the unvaccinated population. Due to the rise of cases among the unvaccinated and the emergence of the Delta variant in many places around the United States, we stand with the CDC’s revised guidelines as of July 27, 2021 (1). In short, the CDC advises that vaccinated people in areas of substantial or high transmission around the country should wear masks indoors (2). Additionally, CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status (3). This guidance ensures that the most vulnerable among us continue to be protected by those that are able to be vaccinated yet able to spread the virus unknowingly. The message from the CDC is that mitigation works and that taking steps to protect ourselves and others is solid public health policy.
In any ongoing health crisis, the behavior of the general population has an impact on the most marginalized among us. Continuing to wear a mask, social distancing, and practicing good hand hygiene, even among the vaccinated, helps to keep transmission of the disease low, decreases death, and, ultimately, saves lives. Health experts say vaccination will be the most effective tool at stopping the pandemic, which has killed over 600,000 Americans thus far. (4) As school approaches, mandating masks for elementary-aged children and school staff also helps to protect the vulnerable population of young children who cannot yet be vaccinated and should be implemented in every state.
Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put various groups of people at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19, including many racial and ethnic minority groups and pregnant and birthing persons (5).
- Studies have shown people from racial and ethnic minority groups are also dying from COVID-19 at younger ages. People in minority groups are often younger when they develop chronic medical conditions and may be more likely to have more than one condition.
- Pregnant and recently pregnant people (for at least 42 days following end of pregnancy) are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people. (6)
Centering the most vulnerable among us will help to combat this pandemic and push for policy changes that protect women, children, low-income families, and all BIPOC folks at all times, not only during health crises.
In solidarity,
Breastfeeding in Emergencies Working Group
Bonita Agee, BS, CLC
Kaitlyn Bowen, MS, RD, LDN
Gi’Anna Cheairs, BS
Jennifer Day, IBCLC, RLC
Rosa Gardiner, IBCLC
Caty Jolley, CD (BAI)
Shannon McKenney Shubert, MPH, CLC
Mistel de Varona, IBCLC, RLC
Rickeshia Williams, CLC, BD
Vicki Wood, CLC, CLS
References:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID 19 Integrated County View, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
- Updated August 4, 2021, https://covidusa.net/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Certain Medical Conditions and Risk for Sever COVID-19 Illness, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html
- Ibid.
About MIBFN: MIBFN is a 501c3 organization that collaborates with organizations and individuals to bring about actionable, system-level changes that are centered on the diverse experiences of Michigan families with young children. Our mission is to lead the statewide collaborative actions for advocacy, education and coalition building to create a supportive breastfeeding culture. To learn more, visit mibreastfeeding.org.
About the Breastfeeding in Emergencies Working Group: This working group formed in February 2021 as a sub-group of the larger MIBFN & Local Breastfeeding Supporter Meetings and in direct response to the established need for emergency preparedness that centers Black and Indigenous breastfeeding families so that they remain a priority in the face of any and all emergency situations. The group meets bi-weekly and is open to breastfeeding supporters across Michigan. To learn more, visit mibreastfeeding.org/local-meetings.
Take Action to Support the PUMP Act
April 29, 2021
Thank you to the United States Breastfeeding Committee and all the groups and organizers who are leading advocacy efforts in support of the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act!
CALLING ALL BREASTFEEDING SUPPORTERS
TAKE ACTION!
Here’s how you can support:
- Contact your federal legislators in the House and Senate to let them know that you want them to support this legislation or call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and a switchboard operator will connect you directly with your legislators’ offices
- Amplify social media posts by organizations who have endorsed this legislation like USBC
- Use this sample script to take action
The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act would strengthen the Break Time law by:
- Closing the coverage gap. The bill would protect the 9 million employees unintentionally excluded from the Break Time law by extending the law’s protections to cover salaried employees as well as other categories of employees currently exempted from protections, such as teachers.
- Providing employers clarity on when pumping time must be paid and when it may be unpaid. The bill leaves in place existing law protecting many salaried workers from having their pay docked, and clarifies that employers must pay an hourly employee for any time spent pumping if the employee is also working.
- Providing remedies for nursing mothers. The bill would ensure that nursing mothers have access to remedies that are available for other violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Statement on Domestic Terrorism Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
March 17, 2021
Dear Breastfeeding Supporters,
Like so many of you, we are horrified by the ongoing anti-Asian racism that has been further magnified by the previous presidential administration and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We vehemently condemn the continued violence in our country, most recently in Atlanta, Georgia. Eight lives were stolen on Tuesday, including six Asian women, by a white domestic terrorist. These eight humans were mothers, sisters, aunties, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Like every single one of us, they deserved to live their lives to the fullest, free from violence, racism, and dehumanization.
While this spike in violence is especially concerning, we must acknowledge that it is directly connected to centuries-long racist terrorism against Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) people in the United States. We see the clear intersection between white supremacy, misogyny, and the actions of this white domestic terrorist. We hold our AAPI sisters and families in our hearts today, and every day.
In birth and breastfeeding spaces, we know that we cannot fully heal, reclaim our power, or step into our full humanity as birthing and breastfeeding people when we are afraid for our lives. And, in the words of the ever-brilliant Audre Lorde, “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own. And I am not free as long as one person of Color remains chained. Nor is anyone of you.”
Our freedom is interwoven, and we must work together, arm-in-arm, to end the racism and misogyny that resulted in these most recent, deadly attacks.
Here are a few opportunities to invest in the people and organizations leading these efforts:
- Asian Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Task Force of LA (donate)
- 18 Million Rising (donate)
- Stop AAPI Hate (donate)
- Asian Prisoner Support Committee (donate)
- Asian Pacific Environmental Network (donate)
- Support the AAPI Community Fund
In peace and solidarity,
The MIBFN Team
Take Action to Support the Momnibus Act of 2021
February 10, 2021
Thank you to the Black Maternal Health Caucus and all the groups and organizers who have contributed to and endorsed the Momnibus Act of 2021!
CALLING ALL BREASTFEEDING SUPPORTERS
TAKE ACTION!
Here’s how you can support:
- Contact your federal legislators in the House and Senate to let them know that you want them to support this legislation or call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and a switchboard operator will connect you directly with your legislators’ offices.
- Amplify social media posts by organizations who have endorsed this legislation like Mothering Justice, HealthConnect One, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, and more!
- Use this sample script to take action
The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act will:
- Make critical investments in social determinants of health that influence maternal health outcomes, like housing, transportation, and nutrition.
- Provide funding to community-based organizations that are working to improve maternal health outcomes and promote equity.
- Comprehensively study the unique maternal health risks facing pregnant and postpartum veterans and support VA maternity care coordination programs.
- Grow and diversify the perinatal workforce to ensure that every mom in America receives culturally congruent maternity care and support.
- Improve data collection processes and quality measures to better understand the causes of the maternal health crisis in the United States and inform solutions to address it.
- Support moms with maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
- Improve maternal health care and support for incarcerated moms.
- Invest in digital tools like telehealth to improve maternal health outcomes in underserved areas.
- Promote innovative payment models to incentivize high-quality maternity care and non-clinical perinatal support.
- Invest in federal programs to address the unique risks for and effects of COVID-19 during and after pregnancy and to advance respectful maternity care in future public health emergencies.
- Invest in community-based initiatives to reduce levels of and exposure to climate change-related risks for moms and babies.
- Promote maternal vaccinations to protect the health and safety of moms and babies.
Sources:
Statement in support of the uprising to end violence against Black and Brown people
June 2, 2020
Dear Breastfeeding Supporters,
We want to stand firm and be clear – racism is a public health emergency. There are clear intersections between the ongoing disparities in breastfeeding outcomes, systemic racism, and the violence perpetrated against Black and Brown bodies by police and vigilante white supremacists. When George Floyd called for his mother as he drew his last breaths, we heard and felt his cries too. In the future we are building, there is no room for white supremacy. Black Lives Matter. It’s on every single one of us who serves families during birth and breastfeeding to dismantle systemic racism and end the violence against Black and Brown people. We stand with families across Michigan who are protesting murders, brutality, and violence against Black and Brown people, and who are demanding an end to systemic racism.
Learn more about the impacts of systemic racism on breastfeeding: www.mibreastfeeding.org/learning-resources
Demand racism be declared a public health emergency in Michigan:
- Governor Whitmer: 517-373-3400
- Find your state representative: https://www.house.mi.gov/mhrpublic/frmFindaRep.aspx
In solidarity,
MIBFN
MIBFN Letter to Detroit Hospital in the Support of Breastfeeding
December 8, 2019
Michigan Breastfeeding Network (MIBFN) applauds Alecia Dillard for her perseverance in successfully breastfeeding her 2-month-old son, and joins Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association and Metro Detroit/Wayne County Breastfeeding Coalition in calling for organization-wide breastfeeding-supportive policy and training at Children’s Hospital of Michigan (1, 2).
It came to the attention of MIBFN leadership, through a video shared by Channel 4 Local WDIV on Friday, December 6th, that, while breastfeeding her 2-month-old son in the emergency room waiting room of Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Alecia Dillard and her son were covered with a sheet by a security guard (3). In her words, this resulted in her baby unlatching and showing additional signs of discomfort.
According to the World Health Organization, breastfeeding is not a matter of personal choice, it is a public health imperative (4) and leading health organizations encourage breastfeeding on demand (5, 6), especially for babies who present with health complications described by Ms. Dillard. The nutrients, immunological protection, and comfort provided by breastfeeding are vital (7). Ms. Dillard also notes in her interview with Local 4 WDIV that she had experienced some breastfeeding difficulties with her son and had been especially excited that he was latching easily at that moment.
The Michigan Breastfeeding Anti-Discrimination Law passed and was signed into law in 2014 (8). This law protects the civil right of Michigan families to breastfeed anytime, anywhere. According to MIBFN Board Member Elon Geffrard, BS, CLC, ICCE, “Families have every right to breastfeed openly. If they cannot do that safely at a children’s hospital, nowhere is safe.”
It also bears noting the unique implications for the fact that Ms. Dillard identifies as African American. Infant mortality rates and infant infection-related deaths are higher in black babies compared to their white counterparts. This is exacerbated by barriers and lack of systemic support for breastfeeding that disproportionately impact black families (9). Research also indicates that black women cite a lack of support in healthcare settings as a top barrier for not meeting their breastfeeding goals (10). MIBFN advocates for every Michigan family to receive breastfeeding protection and support, and is especially concerned about the unique implications when black mothers are singled out while breastfeeding.
MIBFN advocated successfully for passage of the Breastfeeding Anti-Discrimination Law and, through our Breastfeed: Anytime, Anywhere campaign (11), is committed to increasing awareness of and compliance with this important public health legislation through training, technical assistance, and social marketing campaigns. In that regard, MIBFN leadership has offered to provide support to Children’s Hospital of Michigan in the establishment of breastfeeding-supportive policy and organization-wide training to ensure compliance with state law and MIBFN is requesting a publicly available written statement about the implementation of this policy and training.
#####
Michigan Breastfeeding Network is a 501c3 organization that collaborates with organizations and individuals to bring about actionable, system-level changes that are centered on the diverse experiences of Michigan families with young children. Our mission is to lead the statewide collaborative actions for advocacy, education and coalition building to create a supportive breastfeeding culture. To learn more, visit www.mibreastfeeding.org.
References
- Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association. (December 7, 2019). SHAME! SHAME! SHAME! We stand with…[Video]. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/BMBFA/videos/617087265695551/
- Metro Detroit/Wayne County Breastfeeding Coalition. (December 6, 2019). Statement from the Board [Facebook status update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/WayneCountyBFCoalition/posts/2605365219692246
- Mann P. and Clarke K. (2019, December 6). Mother breastfeeding at Children’s Hospital of Michigan says she was told to cover up. WDIV ClickOnDetroit. Retrieved from https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2019/12/07/mother-breastfeeding-at-childrens-hospital-of-michigan-says-she-was-told-to-cover-up/?source=facebook&medium=social&campaign=snd&utm_content=wdiv&fbclid=IwAR08Yj0Sof3xdgnBa1Lw2iXhUf-gUGScim0GDnrYBYlXXnspnles8lppUb0
- World Health Organization. (2002). Infant feeding recommendation, Global Strategy on infant and young child feeding. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/gb/archive/pdf_files/WHA55/ea5515.pdf?ua=1
- World Health Organization. (1989). Protecting, Promoting and Supporting Breast-feeding: The Special Role of Maternity Services: A Joint WHO/UNICEF Statement. Retrieved from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/9241561300.pdf
- American Academy of Pediatrics. (2013). Ten Steps to Support Parents’ Choice to Breastfeed Their Baby. Retrieved from https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Breastfeeding/Documents/tenstepsposter.pdf
- Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. (2012). Pediatrics, 129(3), e827-e841. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-3552.
- Michigan Legislature. Breastfeeding Antidiscrimination Act 2014 s. 37.232 (USA). Retrieved from http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(vkj1dcbds1amv1v5mlaa1e2p))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-37-232
- Johnson A., Kirk R., Rosenblum K.L., Muzik M. (2015). Enhancing Breastfeeding Rates Among African American Women: A Systematic Review of Current Psychosocial Interventions. Breastfeeding Medicine. 10(1): 45-62.
- Beauregard et al. (2019). Racial Disparities in Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration Among U.S. Infants Born in 2015. CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68(34): 745-748.
- Michigan Breastfeeding Network. (2019). Breastfeed: Anytime, Anywhere Campaign. Retrieved from www.mibreastfeeding.org/anytime-anywhere
Action needed to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding
July 10, 2018
Recent opposition by the United States to a breastfeeding resolution that calls on governments to “protect, promote, and support breastfeeding” at the World Health Assembly is a step backwards for public health and places infant and maternal lives at imminent risk.
Breastfeeding is not a lifestyle choice: it is a public health imperative. Breastfeeding is especially important in populations with compromised water sources, high infant mortality rates, and other risk factors. Recent estimates show that over 800,000 child lives and 20,000 maternal lives worldwide could be saved each year if every child were exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. Predatory marketing practices by companies that sell breast milk substitutes specifically target impoverished communities and further undermine breastfeeding outcomes. Marginalized and underrepresented populations need equitable systemic support and increased commitment to further promote, protect, and support breastfeeding.
Education is key to support public health over corporate interests. USLCA is providing contact information and resources to contact officials within the US Government. MIBFN urges you to make your voice count and speak out in support of the recent WHO Resolution.
View and share MIBFN’s social media post on protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding here.
Family Separation at the Border
June 19, 2018
MIBFN stands against the forced separation of children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Executive Order ending this policy is only the beginning – it is imperative that separated families be reunited immediately. The WHO recommends breastfeeding for at least the first two years of life, which becomes physically impossible when mothers and children are forcibly torn apart. The impact of this practice causes permanent emotional, psychological, and physical damage to the families affected.
Please contact your federal legislators to insist that reuniting separated families take urgent priority.
View and share MIBFN’s social media post against family separation at the border here.