On Monday I spoke at the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition conference on the topic of "las dos" and how to increase exclusive breastfeeding among Latinas. "Las dos" is slang used by Latina/Hispanic moms to describe feeding by both breastfeeding and formula.
I think that the talk went well (though you wouldn't believe how much I dread public speaking). Some representatives of an incredibly successful program in Hartford, Connecticut were there, and it was a real treat to meet them.
I thought I'd share some of the main points of the talk, and would love to hear from those of who who are familiar with this, either as mothers or as breastfeeding support people.
Here were the take away messages:
1) On the whole, Latinas initiate breastfeeding in higher numbers than the U.S. average (80% compared to about 75%). But Latinas also supplement more than the average (at two days, 33% compared to 25%).
2) Breastfeeding and supplementation patterns vary a lot by subgroup. For example, Mexican American moms breastfeed at high rates (80%), Puerto Rican moms at lower rates (50%). This is reflective of breastfeeding patterns in the culture of origin (92% breastfeeding initiation in Mexico, 65% in Puerto Rico). It's important to know these differences when working with mothers and designing programs.
3) There are a number of reasons why Latinas plan to do "las dos." Some are concerns common to mothers of many backgrounds (return to work or school, discomfort with nursing in public, concern about breast changes), and others are more specific to the mothers' culture (high value placed on very chubby babies, belief that breastmilk lacks vitamins, strong influence of grandmothers who may not have breastfed or done so exclusively, belief that negative emotions can spoil breastmilk, belief that special diet is necessary to make enough milk).
4) Several things are very effective at increasing exclusive breastfeeding: the Baby Friendly Hopsital Initiative, postpartum breatfeeding support, and peer counselor support. One program which provides prenatal and postpartum support to mothers who deliver in a Baby Friendly Hospital in Hartford breastfeed were found to have exclusive breastfeeding rates which are 15 times higher than controls.
I also talked about social marketing campaigns, such as the one the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition recently launched. Three of the posters from the campaign are posted here, and you can read about the development of one of the slogans (featuring my husband) here. And as a group we worked on creating 'scripts' to use when talking with moms who want to supplement.
Let's hear from you Latina moms, and those of you who work with Latina moms. Your thoughts about any of this?
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