“It is so sad. It shouldn’t be like this,” said Isidoro, who lives in the Baltimore suburb of Ellicott City. “We need formula for our kid, and where is this formula going to come from?”
Black women have historically faced obstacles to breastfeeding, including a lack of lactation support in the hospital, more pressure to formula feed and cultural roadblocks. It’s one of many inequalities for Black mothers : They are far more likely to die from pregnancy complications, and less likely to have their concerns about pain taken seriously by doctors.
The racial disparities reach far back in America’s history. The demands of slave labor prevented mothers from nursing their children, and slave owners separated mothers from their own babies to have them serve as wet nurses, breastfeeding other women’s children. “Nobody’s taking responsibility for the fact that they’ve steered families of color toward formula for so many years and made people rely on it and taken away choice. And then when it falls apart, there’s not really any recognition or accountability,” Freeman said.
Yury Navas, a Salvadoran immigrant who works at a restaurant and lives in Laurel, Maryland, says she was not able to produce enough breast milk and struggled to find the right formula for her nearly 3-month-old baby Jose Ismael, after others caused vomiting, diarrhea and discomfort. Some mothers have turned to social media and even befriended other locals to cast a wider net during shopping trips.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Adult sex abuse survivors win 2nd chance to sue in New York - New York Amsterdam NewsAdult sexual assault survivors who missed legal deadlines to sue their abusers would get a second chance to file lawsuits under a bill that received final approval Monday from New York’s Legislature.
Read more »
Africans fleeing war in Ukraine face new obsticles in France - New York Amsterdam News“We thought France would welcome us, but that is not the case,” a Congolese student told the news service France24. “They tell us we don’t have a nationality––that we were in Ukraine only to study and now we have to go home.”
Read more »
Warrior poet, Audre Lorde, gets her ‘Way’ - New York Amsterdam NewsNow, some 30 years after her death, an honor is bestowed on a woman who proclaimed and was described as “Black, lesbian, mother, and warrior poet.”
Read more »
Chandler-Waterman celebrates 58th Assembly special election win - New York Amsterdam NewsYet another special election wrapped this Tuesday, May 24, with a new state Assembly member-elect in the 58th District. The district covers East Flatbush and Canarsie in Brooklyn.
Read more »
Celestine Chaney, Buffalo supermarket victim, mourned - New York Amsterdam NewsImages of Celestine Chaney’s shooting death in a hate-fueled attack inside a Buffalo supermarket made their way across the internet in the days that followed.
Read more »
Holistic eating with Chef Isra Gordon - New York Amsterdam NewsChef Isra Gordon, 59, is a certified holistic and metabolic health coach. Chef Gordon recently launched Mint Porch Cafe, her latest shop that focuses on healthy eating, located at the newly opened Flatbush Central Caribbean Market in Brooklyn.
Read more »