Department of Public Health Studies, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina, USA.
Breastfeed Med. 2021 Jun;16(6):481-486. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2020.0305. Epub 2021 May 6.
The World Health Organization recommends 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding for infants. Racial disparities exist, where only 27.9% of black women exclusively breastfeed at 6 months compared to 45.1% of white mothers. Previous research suggests that these disparities are due to a variety of factors, including poor paid leave policies, racism, and bias, but few studies have looked specifically at the experience of black millennial mothers. This qualitative study aimed to understand the racialized experiences of breastfeeding among black millennials and whether or not there are factors to mitigate the effects of racism. Three focus groups were conducted ( = 15) with black millennial mothers. Participants were recruited through social media sites, emails to breastfeeding/black maternal health organizations, and local partnerships. Inclusion criteria included self-identification as a black/African American woman, born between 1981 and 1996, and having at least one child 5 years or younger. Five major themes emerged from the analysis as follows: (1) institutional racism and barriers, (2) challenges to motherhood, (3) black experiences, (4) breastfeeding in the millennial age, and (5) hopes for the community. Results showed that black millennial mothers expressed being treated differently and poorly due to race. While participants reported supporting each other through their breastfeeding journey, this was not specifically a strategy to impact racism/bias. Results also showed that black millennials feel a desire to succeed in breastfeeding to change the narrative about past generations. Further research should explore differences between the breastfeeding experiences and perceptions of black millennials in comparison to that of previous generations.
世界卫生组织建议婴儿纯母乳喂养 6 个月。存在种族差异，只有 27.9%的黑人女性在 6 个月时纯母乳喂养，而白人母亲这一比例为 45.1%。之前的研究表明，这些差异是由于多种因素造成的，包括带薪休假政策不佳、种族主义和偏见，但很少有研究专门关注黑人千禧一代母亲的经历。这项定性研究旨在了解黑人千禧一代母乳喂养的种族化经历，以及是否有减轻种族主义影响的因素。进行了三次焦点小组（ = 15），参与者为黑人千禧一代母亲。通过社交媒体网站、向母乳喂养/黑人产妇健康组织的电子邮件以及当地合作伙伴招募参与者。纳入标准包括自我认同为黑人/非裔美国女性、出生于 1981 年至 1996 年之间，以及至少有一个 5 岁或以下的孩子。分析得出了以下五个主要主题：（1）制度种族主义和障碍，（2）母亲身份的挑战，（3）黑人经历，（4）千禧一代的母乳喂养，（5）社区的希望。结果表明，黑人千禧一代母亲表示由于种族原因受到不同程度的歧视和虐待。尽管参与者报告说在母乳喂养的过程中相互支持，但这并不是专门用来影响种族主义/偏见的策略。结果还表明，黑人千禧一代希望在母乳喂养方面取得成功，以改变过去几代人的叙述。应进一步研究比较黑人千禧一代与前几代人在母乳喂养经历和看法方面的差异。
