Black Celebrities Divided on Breastfeeding

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Black Celebrities Divided on Breastfeeding

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Kimberly Seals Allers: If there was ever a mommy cause in the black community that was in desperate need of a spokesperson, it is breastfeeding. Historically, breastfeeding rates among black women have been lower than any other ethnic group for over thirty years.

faith evans and deborah cox on breastfeeding

More celeb mommy voices sharing their thoughts on breastfeeding could help turn the tide -- or at least spark more conversation! As part of momlogic and MochaManual.com's look into this phenomenon, we tracked down a few black celebrity moms and asked them to share their candid thoughts on breastfeeding.

Faith Evans, Grammy-winning singer and songwriter and mother of four, told us,
"I never breastfed. To be honest, it never really crossed my mind. It wasn't big in my family and it wasn't really encouraged or handed down as the thing to do."

On the other hand, Deborah Cox, platinum-selling recording artist and mother of three, including 3-month-old Kaila Michelle, feels differently. "I am a big believer in breastfeeding," she says. "I breastfed my oldest for nine months, my second for six months, and I plan to breastfeed my new baby girl for at least six months. At the end of the day, you have healthier kids. Plus, while I was breastfeeding, a lot of the baby weight just dropped off."

What are your thoughts? Share them in our momlogic community!

Kimberly Seals Allers is an award-winning business journalist and founder and editor-in-chief of MochaManual.com, a weekly online magazine for moms of color. She is the author of "The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy" and "The Mocha Manual to Turning Your Passion into Profit." Kimberly is a divorcing mother of two and lives on Long Island, NY.

7 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

I think this isn’t just relegated to the black community, its also spilling over to the Hispanic community as well. I think it’s lack of education that’s causing this decline. One reason may be, Not enough training after delivery at inner city hospitals. Private hospitals offer “lactation specialists”. I have yet to see one come into my room after delivering my two children at a city hospital. I also believe WIC has made it too easy for women to get the milk fund and over look natural lactation. I’m delighted that more faces are coming out and supporting breast feeding. The more awareness, the more acceptance.

- Gigohead

Posted 05/20/09 10:17 AM

I am pretty sure Halle Berry breastfed too! It is all about education and resources. A new mom often needs a lot of support in the first few weeks. As you continue reporting on this issue, how about providing a list of resources/services for breastfeeding moms? There are many free services, websites, and groups that are available for new moms who are breastfeeding.

- jennifer

Posted 05/20/09 10:35 AM

I don’t think its true that there isn’t ecough education. I had my daughter when I was very young on Medicaid, and the lactation specialist spent a lot of time in my room. Nowadays WIC requires that you take weekly nutrition classes as well. So, that’s my experience. That being said, why try and force or guilt women of ANY ethinicity into breastfeeding? In the end, I wound up bottlefeeding after 3 months because of projectile vomiting, and the fact that I needed my boyfriend to take up some of the feeding responsibilities.

- Ria

Posted 05/20/09 12:04 PM

Thank you, Kimberly. Breastfeeding can save lives. Your series of articles is the first I’ve seen like it. Black women need to be the MOM - no one can tell us what to do! Partners, mothers, mothers in law can discourage all they want, we know breast is best for our babies. Who cares what anyone else thinks?

- Christine

Posted 05/20/09 12:58 PM

Thandie Newton breastfed each of her kids for a year, and Erykah Badu breastfeeds too (she mentioned once that she nursed her son for 2 years). Vanessa Williams breastfed her kids, one of them for 2 years (although she went on “The View” and mentioned that that was too long for her). Jada Pinkett Smith also nursed her kids, also for 2 years. So did Sherri Shepherd. Holly Robinson Peete nursed her twins.

- shannon

Posted 05/20/09 01:10 PM

As a black education woman I would say the biggest “mommy cause” in the black community is teaching our young black girls NOT to get pregant before they have a chance to get an education. It saddens me to see so many young girls having babies with men (boys) who can not nor will not take responsibility for them. We (the older generation) need to teach our young girls to respect themselves, to strive for an education and to wait longer to become parents.

- lorina

Posted 05/20/09 03:51 PM

Breast feeding is a personal choice and may not be the best option for every mom but I agree that there isn’t enough information/education out there about it. My mom breastfed all of her kids and while I knew this when I had my first baby the thought had never even crossed my mind until my mom asked me if I had considered it. I don’t recall any discussions about it in shcool… and it wasn’t a hot topic in 1991… so the thought truly never crossed my mind till my mom asked me about it… and then of course I did my own research . More education and discussion would be helpful in encouraging more women (of all races) to make more informed choices.

- anony

Posted 05/21/09 12:17 AM