TRYING TO LATCH ON

Art by Esme Jablonsky

As Jerk dives into the world of boobs, it’s important to acknowledge these beautiful organs' primary function—milk!

Breastfeeding, more recently referred to as “chestfeeding,” is the natural process of creating milk in the mammary glands.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls breastfeeding the “best source of nutrition for most infants,” adding that it can reduce the risk of asthma, type 1 diabetes and tummy problems. Nationwide, about 25% of infants exclusively breastfeed—meaning they don’t drink formula until they are at least six months old.

About 56% of Onondaga County infants exclusively breastfed in the hospital in 2019, according to the most recent Onondaga County health assessment and improvement plan released in 2023.

While this number is well above the national rate, it varies starkly for local Black and Hispanic infants. Only 33% of Black families and 46% of families reported plans to exclusively breastfeed in the delivery room, according to the report.

And this isn’t just a problem in central New York—it mirrors a national trend of a breastfeeding divide for women of color. Syracuse breastfeeding and community experts attribute this disparity to a multitude of factors, from systemic racism to a lack of access to breastfeeding education, which bar women of color from this historical and natural process that has benefits for both parent and child.

Syracuse’s branch of La Leche League (LLL), a nationwide nonprofit providing breastfeeding support for new parents, hosts monthly meetings at local libraries and an open phone line for those who want to learn more about breastfeeding.

“It's less education and more like, ‘this is normal, and you will get through it,’” Andrea Haskins, a lead lactation consultant at LLL Syracuse, said. “You want to know that you're not crazy, and that it's perfectly normal for your baby to not want to be put down and be on your breast all day.”

Onondaga County is also working to educate more people—specifically marginalized groups like new Hispanic parents—about healthy breastfeeding, explained Laura Vazquez, an Onondaga County community health councilor. The council also collaborates with local hospitals to provide more accessible information about breastfeeding for those who need it.

Vasquez, who works on the breastfeeding/ chestfeeding lactation friendly (BFF) program, said educational and language barriers can often inadvertently prevent Hispanic parents from breastfeeding, which led the council to start its Spanish-speaking Milk Bonds in September.

"It's just really important for families to have the information to make that informed decision of breastfeeding for themselves,” Vasquez said. “A lot of times maybe they're not given the opportunity, think they're too young, think they're not going to breastfeed—there are different scenarios.”

Sankofa Reproductive Health & Healing Center—located on Syracuse’s South Side— provides breastfeeding resources specialized for Black women, who face higher infant mortality rates and discrimination in the healthcare system.

Haskins added that Black women are nine times more likely to be offered formula in the hospital, which can offset lactation if done routinely early in motherhood. While she said LLL groups can be predominately white, which may put further barriers up for accessing breastfeeding resources, the group is doing what it can to extend to all communities.

“I work with a lot of women who are trying to kind of take back breastfeeding as far as claiming a better Black breastfeeding culture, because it all has just gotten messed up,” Haskins said.

In the future, Vasquez said more maternity leave in the workplace go hand in hand with breastfeeding education. And for Haskins, a better breastfeeding culture will only come with the dissolution of a consumerist and capitalist culture—where babies are pressured to become independent.

“The way breastfeeding works is lots and lots of frequent time at the breast and skin-to- skin contact while holding your baby, which just doesn't mix for modern motherhood,” Haskins said. “Especially if you have to go back to work and you need to sleep.”

Whether you call it breastfeeding, chestfeeding, or just feeding your kid, remember: it’s not just natural, it’s revolutionary. Now that’s something to “milk” for all it’s worth.