More minority women breastfeeding their babies

When Porcher Harris decided she wanted to breastfeed, her mother gave her a breast pump and her support.What she couldn't give the new Tampa, Fla., mom was advice. Harris' mother, Maxine, had never breastfed."She said the women in her day didn't think about breastfeeding," said Harris, 27, who is black and breastfeeds her 5-month-old daughter.Harris represents a changing of the guard. Minority women are breastfeeding more these days, bucking a trend that ranked black and Hispanic women among those least likely to nurse in this country, even as breastfeeding rebounded in the past 30 years.Over the last decade, the percentage of black infants who were breastfed increased by about 30 percent and Hispanic infants saw a 13 percent jump, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Health officials say efforts by the medical community and a more savvy generation of mothers have led to the change."Two or three generations ago, they didn't even have the information in front of them to the benefits of breastfeeding," said Charlene Laping, a lactation consultant for the Hillsborough County, Fla., WIC program, a federal program that provides help with food, health care and nutrition education for women and children."Now they do and it seems more of a simple choice for them to say, 'Oh yes, I am going to breastfeed.' "Studies have shown that benefits of breastfeeding for mothers include reduction in breast-cancer rates and a return to pre-pregnant weight faster; for children, reduction in childhood obesity, diabetes and leukemia.It's also significantly cheaper than purchasing formula, which can cost up to $1,500 year.But in communities where breastfeeding is not a tradition, delivering the message of its benefits for newborns and their mothers has taken work.For example: More than half of the women who deliver at Tampa General are Hispanic. Many are Spanish speakers and it's the first time they've given birth in a state-of-the-art setting."It's status in many communities to bottle-feed your baby," said lactation specialist Suzanne Shapiro. "But we have to turn around and tell them what would you do in your home country?" Shapiro and her staff, which includes a Spanish-speaking lactation consultant, determine the woman's employment and home situation. Then they devise an individual breastfeeding plan.Cristina Wingate of Belle Air Bluffs, Fla., is 35 and of Puerto Rican and Peruvian descent. The first-generation New York native has been steadfast in breastfeeding her 22-month-old daughter in a family that still hasn't quite accepted it."It's something I truly believe and not having the support makes it challenging," said Wingate, whose mother did not breastfeed. "When I speak to my family, they'll ask me, 'Oh, are you still breastfeeding her?' "Wingate, a member of the La Leche League, a worldwide support group for nursing mothers, has begun to educate her younger sisters and nieces about the benefits of breastfeeding.Delilah Fortenberry, who is black, said it's a matter of information not reaching certain communities. A mental-health counselor, she faced some apprehension from associates after she decided to breastfeed her son, now 3 months old."They felt it was weird, especially if it's a boy," said Fortenberry, 30, of Wesley Chapel, Fla. "But it's a natural kind of thing. The baby is not going to look at you as a sexual object whether it's a boy or a girl."At the turn of the 20th century, it is believed that nearly 70 percent of new mothers breastfed, according to the Journal of Nutrition. By 1950, that number had declined to 25 percent.The decline began as childbirth went from the privacy of homes to hospitals, said Jane Crouse, public-relations associate for La Leche League."Within a decade, you saw women going to the hospital having their babies, a lot of medical personnel involved and science involved," Crouse said. "Consequently, infant feeding practices went more in the realm of the doctor and not the woman and her community and her mother."In the mid-1970s, as research emerged about the benefits of breastfeeding, more women began to nurse, Crouse said.Still, minority communities, specifically African-Americans in lower socioeconomic rungs, lagged behind.Harris understands why. Breastfeeding, particularly when a baby is young, can be a challenge as both mother and child learn the routine."There was a point where I wanted to give up, but I knew I had decided I wanted to do it, so I decided to start back," Harris said. "And we do have a bond. She's a momma's girl."X...X...XFor more information on breastfeeding, contact La Leche League at www.llli.org or call toll-free 1-800-525-3243.Books:-- "Breastfeeding: A Parent's Guide" by Amy Spangler-- "Nursing Mother's Companion" by Kathleen Huggins-- "Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by La Leche League International-- "Nursing Mother, Working Mother" by Gale Pryor-- "Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins or More" by Karen Kerkhoff Gromada(E-mail Nicole Hutcheson at nhutcheson(at)sptimes.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service www.scrippsnews.com)