BBW 2021 Reflections: The Big Pause: Collective Rest for Collective Power
Black Breastfeeding Week 2021 means so much to our center and our community. Our team reflects on what rest means in their work supporting families and in their lives. Black parents remember to pause, remember to rest. You are seen, you are loved, and you are so very powerful. Happy Black Breastfeeding Week!
It is very interesting that this year’s theme for Black Breastfeeding Week is “The Big Pause”. As an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) this week has me doing anything but pausing. I spend July planning for all of August. Creating webinars to provide education for my co-workers, creating social media content to provide education to the masses, and of course helping the families that I serve daily. This week is important because as it’s the one time of the year we have the world’s attention to see what it means to be black and trying to give our babies the milk that we make with our bodies. Much like everything else we have to “fight” for: to wear our hair as it grows out of our head naturally, walk around in our neighborhoods without being harassed, and shop without being accused of ill intentions we must fight for our babies to get our milk. Our babies getting our milk is medicine to them. It gets them out of the NICU faster, it protects their gut, it boosts their immune systems, it protects them from ailments that normally plague the black community as well as provides them nourishment so that they can grow and thrive. Black girls resting is important as we spend our days constantly fighting. As this week settles down and I take on my “pause” I know next month the fight must continue until things are better for my community.
-Dominique Gallo, IBCLC, RLC
The infant feeding journey is not a one shoe fits all. Black families often have the added pressure of perfection and the stigma of what to or not to feed their children. Food often gets the blame and kids are labeled to be picky eaters, have behavior problems, or described as being "difficult" or "stubborn". A perfect storm is when kids have underdeveloped oral motor skills and limited access to a variety of foods. Family mealtime is an activity that has gone away in recent years and is so important to the overall development of children. There families should come together, reflect on the day, model positive mealtime behavior, and enjoy the company of each other. This week as we focus on rest, my wish for families is that they would R.E.S.T- Remember. Everyone. Sits. Together. Come out of the kitchen and sit with your family and know that you are being the best parent for those tiny humans that love you!
- APRIL ANDERSON, MA, CCC-SLP, CLC
Rest and recovery is crucial in the postpartum period. As a culture we neglect the importance of rest. We are relearning the meaning of self care, we need to be reminded especially with a new baby. I make it a point to discuss how support people are integral to the early weeks with baby. If a spouse or another family member is present we talk about night shifts and power naps for everyone. Support folk need rest almost as much as the birthing parent to be able to care for their loved ones. I ask them to take 3-4 hour blocks with baby overnight or early morning. The birthing parent has to remember that recovery is also a part of this precious time. We have all taken more time to reorder priorities, rest should be very high on the list. Protect your Peace ~ Celebrate Black Breastfeeding and Black Birthing Families
-TINA PANGELINAN, IBCLC
Regarding the Big Pause, I want to share with Moms that taking a moment for oneself translates to not only self-care but also baby care. Baby enjoys calm cuddles with their parents. I usually recommend in the first weeks to go back to those comfort measures we prepared for the birth, and reintroduce them in Postpartum. Those deliberate times we spend being present and nurturing our senses: sight, smell, taste, feeling, hearing--all of these ways we know are sweet to us, can also help us to take in new parenthood as we stop and enjoy those moments again with baby. Translating from those times into a time for feeding can enhance the lactation experience.
