Page 4
October 23, 2019
Healthy Moms and Babies
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mother breastfeeding and help
her solve any problems, she said.
“We are trying to assess if the
mom is having difficulty, has she
breastfed before and what are
her challenges?” she said. “We
take an in depth history and ask
about actual challenges the mom
is having, then observe the actu-
al feeding.”
There are many reasons a
mother can have trouble breast-
feeding, she said.
“It’s like a puzzle. You have
the baby, the physical structure of
the mom and the anatomy of the
baby’s mouth,” she said. Some-
times a baby can be tongue-tied,
she said, or there can be com-
plications from infections, and
many other problems that a lac-
tation consultant can help solve.
Breastfeeding gives a baby
better immune defenses, causes
less stomach upset than formu-
la, helps the mother’s body heal
faster, and even helps the child’s
IQ, among other advantages.
Anyone interested in learning
how to get involved in the Sa-
cred Roots program can call
Bryant-Daaka 503-430-9072.
Formed in 2006, it was
through Black Parent Initiative’s
work in helping black families
achieve financial, educational
and spiritual success, that they
discovered that there is a com-
munity need for more support
with breastfeeding for black
mothers and families.
“Breastfeeding benefits all
of us now and into the future,”
Bryant-Daaka said. “We, the
African-American and African
immigrant community, have a
lower breastfeeding rate among
our people and also we know the
benefits are far-reaching for the
mother and the child.”
One reason for the low rate of
breastfeeding among blacks is
lack of information, Bryant-Daa-
ka said, and in the past there have
been very few African-American
lactation consultants, sometimes
leading to cultural missteps.
“A lot of times they have
negative experiences, and a lot
of times a lactation consultant
is not a racial match,” she said.
That can lead to misunderstand-
ings, she said. For example,
many black women prefer sev-
eral minutes of conversation be-
fore letting a health care provid-
er touch their breasts.
“There’s a cultural lack of
understanding that is preventing
moms from utilizing these ser-
vices,” she said.
Keara Rodela of the county’s
REACH program said the Sacred
Roots program will help ensure
family support for breastfeeding
moms.
“Successful breastfeeding can
happen when families have the
support they need from everyone
around them, including health
care providers,” she said.
“We want to look at how we
can support moms with lactation
support between the hospital and
the community,” she said. “They
might get support in the hospi-
tal, but not always when they
get home. We want to see how
we can make a better connection
between the hospital and when
they get home.”
Getting the program off the
ground is phase one of the pilot
project, Rodela said, and will
lead to phase two.
“In phase two, one of the
things we will look at is poli-
cy, with information and data
we hope to collect from the pi-
lot project and also with focuses
on lactation professionals with
moms and dads and what support
looks like for them.”
After making assessments,
the program will be tweaked and
policies set in place, she said.
“Our ultimate goal is to in-
crease lactation and access to
lactation consultants for black
moms.”
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