Breastfeeding Makes My Heart Happy

by Elizabeth Chang, Bilingual Spanish/English Certified Lactation Counselor, Nursing Student, Founder and CEO of Pretty Mama Breastfeeding, LLC

Ms. Chang and HealthConnect One  have crossed paths many times over the years, most recently during our #DandoPecho campaign. We appreciate the opportunity to share a bit of her breastfeeding journey. 

From the very beginning when my husband and I decided to start a family, we started educating ourselves about maternity in the USA and breastfeeding. We were very new to the whole world of having a baby because it was our first time as parents. I always loved breastfeeding but felt a strong, intuitive and powerful desire to know more when I started having conversations about it with my family and with my mom.

My mom told me how she breastfed me, and how she breastfed my siblings. I also remember being around people in Colombia, where I am from, and seeing breastfeeding completely as a “no-brainer.” It is like you are drinking a glass of water. Breastfeeding is that normal. In my family and in my cultural background, that’s what women do. We don’t question it. We just do it because that is what is embedded in our culture. The same was true for my husband’s family, as both he and his siblings were successfully breastfed.

They were ready to support me in any way possible.

I remember being around people in Colombia, where I am from, and seeing breastfeeding completely as a ‘no-brainer.’ It is like you are drinking a glass of water. Breastfeeding is that normal.

When my son was delivered, I had problems with breastfeeding. At the start, my baby wouldn’t latch. I was searching for help and it was not given to me.

We went back to the hospital to see the Lactation Consultant, but she couldn’t pick out what the issue was. She gave me an SNS (a supplemental nursing system), nipple shields that were the wrong size, and told my husband and I that a large number of babies simply do not ever latch. She didn’t explain to me why this was happening.

Not knowing, of course I followed her directions — and that became chaos in my house. Not only was I sore — and he was a big baby, yelling and screaming — How was I supposed to know that he was a tongue tied baby?

That experience was so frustrating and so alarming that it inspired me to get more educated and to help other women.

After a long month and a few days of searching and calling many local and non-local breastfeeding professionals, we finally found someone to help us. And the minute she came, we discovered that my baby boy had a tongue tie. She sent me to an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat doctor). That ENT cut the frenulum, and that was the end of my problem. He latched on like you wouldn’t believe and the pain I had on my breast for the longest time was gone immediately.

That has been my inspiration — my baby, my situation, and seeing that it happens every second across the country.

Feeding my child out of my breast felt like I was in heaven. Breastfeeding allowed us to build a very strong emotional and physical bond. There are simply no words to describe it.

While I was breastfeeding my boy, when he was about 3 or 4 months old, I opened my living room for a breastfeeding support group. As soon as I got my title as a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), I was able to host the first bilingual Spanish support group in this area. I hosted the support group for free for more than a year, and then I decided to launch my website to start my business.

Now I am a bilingual Spanish/English Certified Lactation Counselor studying to obtain my credentials as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and I have my own business, Pretty Mama Breastfeeding, LLC. I am currently doing an internship at one of the largest university hospitals in the state of New Jersey. I am also a nursing student. This is my second career, as I have a Bachelor of Science in Communication and Technology and I worked in the corporate world for some time.

I am a wife and mother to a four year old boy who easily weaned at 34 months. We speak 3 languages at my house: Mandarin, English and Spanish. My family is quite unique and I work for a unique set of people, as well.

I am constantly promoting the importance of breastfeeding and why it matters.

I serve NYC, New Jersey, and then Northeast of Pennsylvania, so I do travel a lot. I also do international counseling on Skype with moms who are from Central America or South America, and I am in the process of creating counseling services for Chinese women that are fluent in English.

The most common questions I hear are about moms returning to work and needing assistance with pumping.

There are a few myths I have encountered, as well, working with women from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds.

These myths include:

• Colostrum is not as effective as the second milk.
• I have to pump right away to get milk.
• I can’t drink anything very cold.
• I can only drink hot things and eat things that are really salty and sugary to give me energy.
• I should not take a shower or get my head wet after having my baby.

Education and giving correct information are so important!

I am really passionate. I go with what is in my heart and I am educating myself non-stop!

I see breastfeeding as a right that has been stolen and sabotaged over and over again. I am making a lifelong lasting difference in the health and emotional well being of both mothers and babies. And to be able to do this makes my heart happy.

Elizabeth Chang, CLC, offers a variety of services through Pretty Mama Breastfeeding, LLC, including in-home counseling, and phone or online video counseling via Skype. If mom wants resources in Spanish or in Chinese, Ms. Chang connects her with someone who speaks her language. She says there are many times where moms can find the information online, but they don’t trust everything online and they’d prefer to speak with someone who is in the breastfeeding world and who can be trusted. Ms. Chang is working towards her BSN certification and studying to obtain her IBCLC.

In closing, she says:

“My heart and soul are in this! This is my inspiration.”

What makes your heart happy?

Celebrating Women Who Inspire

For International Women’s Day, we asked:

Who inspired you to get into birth or breastfeeding equity work? Why?

Here is what we heard:

“My first born child and remembering seeing my mother breastfeeding my siblings. Breastfeeding is our reproductive female right. Also because I was raised in a country where breastfeeding is as simple as drinking a glass of water. It is the norm.” ~ Elizabeth Chang, B.Sc.,CLC, IBCLC Candidate, Nursing Student, Bilingual Spanish/English Certified Lactation Counselor, Founder & CEO Pretty Mama Breastfeeding, LLC

“Once I became a peer counselor, I was inspired by my colleagues and mentors, Hope Young, and Lin Cook.  These women empowered my journey to continue in the field of breastfeeding and become a lactation consultant.  My passion and soul in this work is fueled by the activists and advocates that have paved the road for my journey in this profession. Breastfeeding was frowned upon in my family, so when I decided to breastfeed, I had little to no support.  I was inspired to become a breastfeeding advocate and lactation consultant because of my own difficulties and experiences in breastfeeding, and desired to become a beacon of support for families to make an informed decision about breastfeeding.” ~ Felisha Floyd, BS, CLC, IBCLC, Founder and CEO of Blactavist, Co-Founder and President of the National Association of Professional and Peer Lactation Supporters of Color (NAPPLSC), Founder and CEO of Beyond Breastfeeding, Inc.

“I am the daughter of two mothers, one who birthed me and nurtured me until I was three, and one who raised me to become the woman I am today.  I am inspired by both my mothers, Bertha Feinberg Abramson, and Alice Umans Abramson.  I am particularly aware that my work is deeply influenced by Alice’s constant struggle to do good, to keep trying, and to make a better world.” ~ Rachel Abramson, RN, MS, IBCLC, Executive Director of HealthConnect One

   

And on Twitter …

@JerethaMcKinley: Name a woman who inspires you? Why?

@StacyMcDavi: @JerethaMcKinley u 4 ur candidness @ttwadley 4 her strength, perseverance, spirit & positivity #mymom 4 her ability to continuously rise up

@Birthbirthbirth: Irene Ellis, House of El-Elyon

 

Now it’s your turn:

Who are you celebrating for International Women’s Day?

Who inspires YOU?

 

 

Fathers and Breastfeeding… What Can We Do?

by Randi McCallian, MPH, CPH, CLC, CD(DONA)

“I think it’s such a high-risk deal, and you sacrifice a lot more by breastfeeding, but people don’t understand the benefits. Like saving money, their kid is gonna be a lot healthier, the mom is going to recover faster, reducing cancer risk. A lot of parents don’t know things like that, especially like us, the younger parents. And if we aren’t informed about it, we won’t want to do it. And we’ll take the easy way out.”

Men often wonder what they can do to support breastfeeding, sometimes saying they feel left out when a mother breastfeeds.

What they don’t often know is…

The support of the baby’s father is the most important to a breastfeeding mother.

At MHP Salud, we surveyed and interviewed almost 100 migrant Latina mothers who are successfully breastfeeding and they said that the baby’s father was the most important person that supported them.

Many breastfeeding programs and messages focus on the mother, but now it might be time to put some of that effort into helping men know how important they are to breastfeeding success, and how they can help.

Why support breastfeeding?

Babies fed infant formula are not as healthy as babies fed breastmilk.

Breastfeeding helps protect babies* from:

• Sickness and diseases
• Obesity
• Asthma and allergies
• Some cancers
• Dying from SIDS

And helps protect moms** from:

• Ovarian and breast cancers
• Heart disease
• Osteoporosis

It’s important for dads to be “supportive with public breastfeeding, even holding the blanket to help cover her. Because public breastfeeding is going to happen… be supportive and don’t be embarrassed about it.”

Ways to support a breastfeeding mother: 

Breastfeeding mothers say these are a few ways you can show your support and help them breastfeed!

✔   Encourage her to breastfeed.

Babies should eat only breastmilk for the first 6 months and continue breastfeeding for at least one year. There is no limit to how long breastfeeding should last, so mother and baby can breastfeed for as long as they desire.

✔  Congratulate her for breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is hard work, and you can help her keep going!

Tell her you are proud of her!

✔   Help her breastfeed in public.

Breastfeeding in public makes many women uncomfortable. Try helping mom cover up, or go with her to a private spot to breastfeed.

✔   Burp the baby after a feeding.

Hold them on your shoulder and pat gently.

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REFERENCES:

* “Breastfeeding Benefits Your Baby’s Immune System.” HealthyChildren.org. American Academy of Pediatrics, updated August 20, 2015. Web. October 21, 2015.

** “Healthy Milk, Healthy Baby: Benefits of Breastfeeding”. National Resources Defense Council, updated March 25, 2015. Web. October 21, 2015.

Randi McCallian, MPH, CPH, CLC, CD(DONA)
Randi’s passion for maternal and child health has been cultivated for over a decade. She has received certifications as a birth doula, lactation counselor, and completed a Master’s Degree in Public Health. Currently, Randi directs a Breastfeeding Program with MHP Salud and has conducted some of the only known Positive Deviance Inquiry research with breastfeeding mothers in local, Latino, migrant communities. Her most recent accomplishments include the birth of a daughter and her own breastfeeding journey, as well as sitting for the IBCLC board exam.

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What works for you? Please share below!

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Back to our Breastfeeding Roots

During Latino-Hispanic Heritage Month, HealthConnect One is excited to celebrate our breastfeeding traditions through online and real-life conversation and support. This is the 9th guest post in our blog series, “Celebrating our Breastfeeding Traditions,” featuring individuals who identify as Latino/Hispanic who are breastfeeding leaders, advocates of breastfeeding support, and members of breastfeeding families.

by Maria Briseño

My name is Maria Briseño. I normally identify myself as a Latina, but currently what’s going on with politics with Mexican immigrants, I’m Mexican and proud.

My breastfeeding commitment started with my mother. Prenatally, she didn’t mention breastfeeding to me … until my first born was born.

Sweet memories. On September 17, 1995, he was born, he was jaundiced and the pediatrician on staff told me, “Breastfeed. It’s good for him.” I followed Dr.’s orders, but it was hard, and not natural. He resisted me, until my mother told me it’s good for him. Funny: She will get on her knees to pump my breast, and tell my husband to help with the other breast.

Breastfeeding matters in the Latino community. Why? It’s part of our culture, our religion. La Virgin Maria nursed Jesus. Our grandmothers, mothers, and aunts nursed in Mexico, but it’s lost as we adjust to America (El Norte). Let’s go back to our roots.

It’s important to me because I was able to breastfeed my sons with my mother’s support. Sadly, not all Latina mothers have that. It’s a loss. The confidence, the natural feeling and pride of being able to have breasts to nurse your baby isn’t the norm anymore.

Americans assume that Latinas’ breastfeeding rates are high, but sadly, it’s not the case. Latinas want to be Americans, live the American way, be free, leave baby and work. But breastfeeding doesn’t have to be hard. It’s a natural process. Trust your body. Let the baby nurse and let people talk. You will only get one chance to nurse that baby. The grieving process is hard. Why? I pumped my milk for my oldest for a year. It wasn’t easy. I did my best.

My mother is, and continues to be my role model. Even though I was upset. At the time, I didn’t understand motherhood; I just became one.

As a mother of three boys, they know what breasts are for. They have been exposed to nursing mothers and classes I teach, and listen in to the calls I receive. Hopefully, my future grandchildren will be breastfed. I’m praying one of my sons decides to go into the mother and child field.

Throughout my breastfeeding experience as a mother, peer counselor, doula and educator I have noticed the most encouraging support is mother-to-mother support. Our gatherings aren’t classes or support groups; they are Charlas. We meet. No agenda is created. Why? I decided not to follow the tradition of: Let’s plan a topic, I’m going to teach a specific topic, and end it for the day. That doesn’t work. Mothers have voiced a struggle that disables them to be fully attentive to a class we expect them to attend.

Most classes are in English, lacking understanding of our culture and tradition. Labeled as the “men control us,” our men protect us and their children. Our family is important. Don’t assume abuse because we aren’t liberal.

To my Latina sisters: Si se puede!

Maria Briseño, who breastfed her three sons, is a certified lactation counselor and doula. She is a La Leche League breastfeeding peer counselor trainer and has years of experience providing support, education, and advocacy in Healthy Start communities.   

TWEET WITH US on October 7th at 2:00 p.m. ET, for a #WellnessWed Twitter Chat about Breastfeeding in Latino/Hispanic Communities. Share your voice with hashtag #DandoPecho!

Breastfeeding is about LOVE

During Latino-Hispanic Heritage Month, HealthConnect One is excited to celebrate our breastfeeding traditions through online and real-life conversation and support. This is the 8th guest post in our blog series, “Celebrating our Breastfeeding Traditions,” featuring individuals who identify as Latino/Hispanic who are breastfeeding leaders, advocates of breastfeeding support, and members of breastfeeding families.

by Esperanza

My deep love for breastfeeding began when my son was just a newborn baby and I was on the brink of depression. As a single mother, it felt lonely and impossible to raise a child on my own. But breastfeeding felt like my ray of hope, and ironically my name is Esperanza. I felt like, although I was struggling, at the very least I knew I was providing the best nutrition for my baby without even trying, and that’s what pulled me through the sadness.

I believe I’m one of the rare cases where breastfeeding was actually easy for me. The milk flowed plentiful and I never had any challenges – at least where breastfeeding is concerned. I also felt like I couldn’t relate to other moms because they had partners and their breastfeeding support group revolved around breastfeeding struggles. I craved a space where all types of families would be present and we could celebrate breastfeeding. So I create those spaces now for other moms and parents.

I’m proud to be the Mamas Justice Organizer at Young Women United, a community organizing and policy project by and for women of color in New Mexico. I’m blessed to work alongside powerful women and people of color on birth and parenting justice everyday, with breastfeeding justice being a central component. Breastfeeding justice means advocating for access and support to breastfeeding, as well as honoring and celebrating breastfeeding for all families of color, including single, queer, trans*, young parents and more.

I work to uplift mamas and parents who are breastfeeding so they can know they are loved and incredible. As women and people of color, we live in a society where the toll of racism, classism, homophobia and transphobia impact our bodies and our milk. The one thing we can do is at least show our sisters and brothers of color love in their breastfeeding journey. For Hispanic Heritage Month, I hope you join me in celebrating ourselves and other breastfeeding families because we all deserve it!

Esperanza is a New Mexican Hispanic mama to an 8 yr old son, Julián and works at Young Women United in Albuquerque, NM.

TWEET WITH US on October 7th at 2:00 p.m. ET, for a #WellnessWed Twitter Chat about Breastfeeding in Latino/Hispanic Communities. Share your voice with hashtag #DandoPecho!