I had many ideas in mind for the beginning of summer, such as partying and having a lot of fun, but the universe had something different in store.
I’ve more or less been training clients about birthing babies. Plus, I was recently invited to participate in a program on how to become a certified lactation counselor.
Without overthinking it, I quickly said, yes! Especially as I thought back to my first day of doula training with MamaGlow– one of the guest speakers was Kimberly Seals Allers, an award-winning journalist, and breastfeeding advocate.
Not only did I have the opportunity to listen to her speak about her passion for breastfeeding and how important it is to educate Black mothers on the importance of breastfeeding and buy her book, The Big Letdown.
The book was a requirement for my MamaGlow training, but I definitely enjoyed reading it. It taught me that Black women are breastfeeding less and less. One of the reasons for that is, sometimes we don’t have mothers and grandmothers around to guide us and show us how to breastfeed with ease and joy. Not to mention, a lot of hospitals don’t provide what really is needed for a mother to successfully breastfeed. Unfortunately, hospitals are driven by money and so it makes more sense for them to force formula on new mothers rather than showing them how to breastfeed.
When I get my shiny new lactation counselor certificate in six to eight weeks, I’ll be ready to really support the mothers in my community on their breastfeeding journey!