𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑴𝒐𝒎𝒔 𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅 – 𝑾𝒆𝒕 𝑵𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒔

Wet Nursing & Black Mothers Breastfeeding has rooted pains.

Let me first acknowledge that horrific rates of killing in the black community from authorities, is deeply disturbing.

As signs from black health care workers float the internet today stating, 

𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏

I can’t help but look at the image above and think how horrific it was back then.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆’𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕s, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏!

𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗯 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝘁 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝘁 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗲𝘁 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱.

𝗜 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆.

When did the ratio of black mothers breastfeeding decline largely?

59% Blacks breastfeed vs 79% Whites, according to MD Stephanie Devane-Johnson, OBGYN of Central Carolina. 

The Roots of Wet Nursing

Children of slave mothers grew healthy and strong due to slaves breastfeeding their babies, while many white families lost their children to ill health.

In the past, the perception of breastfeeding came across as self-demeaning, lower class, uncultured and shunned.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵

However, according to @slavery.org Westerns realized that black slaved mothers breastfed their children who became strong and outlived the white children.

This resulted in westerns forcing slave mothers to breastfeed their white children, s

So the white children could grow healthier and survive early months of childhood.

Wet nurses in slavery were FORCE to nurse their “master’s” children before their own.

This resulted in high deaths of slave infants who became malnourished on cow’s milk and dirty water during slave.

Torture came to the resistant slave mothers that refused to breastfeed a white’s infant rather their own, by slave traders stilling the slave’s babies.

This too contributed in the deaths of slave infants, who were then left neglected for months on end.

The act of a slave mother not able to breastfeed her own, caused engorgement of the breast leading to increased pain, due to the lack of expressing milk out.

The engorgement pain became so intense that it left the wet nurse no choice but to nurse other babies who were often white.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 force 𝘆𝗼𝘂 to wet nurse 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗿?

Sparing one breast for the benefit of the wet nurses’ own child,

Bidding by the slave owner, only one breast for the white child and one for the black child.

If the wet nurse were caught switching up and let both the black and white babies suck from the same breast, she was whipped.

The imagery of this charge was like sharing the same water fountain.

This became a labor of marketing for a white mistress with babies, simultaneously an excuse to avoid motherhood.

Choosing a slave that just gave birth, would take upon the task of feeding the white mistress baby,

So that the mistress can maintain an image and statue.

Because of this extreme force during slavery, this have been a subconscious uninterested conversation for many of our ancestors.

Our mother’s mothers did not force breastfeeding, nor was it a topic, resulting black mothers to less likely initiate the idea of breastfeeding.

One woman, that MD Stephanie Devane – Johnson interviewed states… “It was frowned upon to talk about breastfeeding because it was thought to be disgusting. It was not allowed in the house.”

These are deep scars of untold memories.

So deep that the cultural of blacks adapt to take upon formula, rather consider to breastfeed.

Times Have Changed for the Better

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝘁 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱.

I write this with hope, that the historic reason of Black mothers NOT nursing unravels with understanding.

Yet, birthing a new perspective of the importance to new encouragement and wisdom in why black women should breastfeed.

• Breast-milk has more nutrients then formula, and your breast milk moms, adjusts to your baby needs.
• It changes as your baby grows or gets sick.
• Breast milk is human milk,that protects your baby from diseases, hence why wet nursing took place in the first place in slavery.

Breastfeeding was common for black moms more in slavery, but the UGLINESS that occurred during slavery, carries an imagery that is better off buried with the days of slavery.

Let’s resurrect the God given nature of breastfeeding, with freedom of fear and freedom of choice, because it is the all in all antibody and immunization you give your baby.

Breastfeeding is giving the gift of life, do it with boldness.

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