Little Black Breastfeeding Book: Maternal Experience of Breastfeeding

By Jacqueline Lois

The Little Black Breastfeeding Book is a small reference book that arms women with the emotional tools they will need to nurse their babies through the first year of life. The title is a bit of a play on words as it is small in size and it is black in cover, but it also is directed toward black women as it shares the authors story as a black woman who has breastfed her children and who would like to see more black women do the same.

The book in interactive fashion asks a series of questions that a midwife might use to assess readiness to breastfeed. The author intentionally hopes to create a dialogue in small groups of women that will garner support for nursing their babies and delaying weaning. The author sees breastfeeding as an extension of the bond formed between mother and baby during pregnancy. Clearly, prematurity; little or no breastfeeding, early weaning and early and frequent separations between mothers and babies are seen as related plagues on the community and perhaps more importantly as damaging to the health and well-being of the mother.

The book also takes a departure from most how-to books targeted for women during pregnancy and uses an interactive format to list what she believes are the most common reasons why mothers fail to nurse their infants and what she believes are the keys to a successful maternal experience of breastfeeding. There will certainly be some controversy as she challenges commonly held beliefs about sleeping with your infant and advice on weaning and the importance of resolving spiritual and emotional issues in parenting.

Some may also find the focus on intellectual and emotional issues a welcome departure from many baby books you may receive at your baby shower. The book lists the more common reasons black women dont breastfeed their infants as well as listing what she believes will allow women to succeed at nursing. In a clever way she invites the reader to look inward and to answer those same questions for herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469172873

Jacqueline Lois

Jacqueline Lois ( nee Strachan) is a native New Yorker born in the Urban Wilderness of 135th Street in Harlem. She finally returns to her first love of writing, poetry and story telling during the great pandemic of 2020 while living on a farm in Maryland. She finally can finally sit and see the forest for the trees. She holds a BA in American Civilization and Psychology from Williams College; a Master’s in Counseling from Howard University as well as a degree in Nursing from Montgomery College and Certification in Nurse Midwifery from the then University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Jacqueline Lois.

Conception by Jerome Meadows 1974

Photo credits John R Strachan 2012

Library of Congress Control Number:   2012903544

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

111334

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Preface . . . .

QUESTIONS

YOUR STORY

Warning

PART 2

PART 3

For Our Mothers

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost I want to acknowledge My Beloved Creator for whom all things are possible. I am surrounded by wonderful people both family and friends who have encouraged me to write and to share my ideas and experiences. It is not enough to be blessed when we have so many opportunities to be a blessing to others. You have never let me down.

This book was initially conceived as a letter to my daughter in honor of my mother. The ideas came quickly over a few days. I felt a sense of urgency to get the important points down on paper in my journal though at the time I wasn’’t sure what I should do with them. I couldn’t rest until it was completed.

Organizing my thoughts, editing my words but not my ideas finally was a task that seemed difficult but doable. There are so many I would like to recognize here today in this book, though I will only call a few people by name.

If you don’t see your name here, others please forgive me and know that you are equally important to my development and the success that I have become. There is tremendous power in a kind word or deed. I have been so blessed to be surrounded by kindness.

Betty Hobson, the first midwife who showed me the magic of telling new mothers about liquid gold and the importance of mothering the mother.

Theresa Marsico, my midwifery teacher and mentor. She was the first midwife who saw that I was a midwife and told me so. She always reminded me not so gently that midwives were always chosen. It is a gift. It is who you are, not what you do. You are allowed to function because of the women and always for your community. Take that responsibility seriously and you will know what you need to do.

I stand proudly and represent a long tradition of black midwives. We have been called by many names; thank you for your humility and your service, and keeping the flames burning through some very difficult times. Thank you for letting me know you and speaking to me. Thank you Diane Lee, Marsha Jackson, and Shafia Monroe. You know what I am talking about!

I wouldn’t be here without my loving parents John and Violette Strachan. Violette did not breastfeed me, but she gave me everything, her whole self . . . to allow me to successfully breastfeed both my son and my daughter.

I thank my grandmother Lois, who mothered me when my mother could not and loved me unconditionally. I thank my children. They were truly my first breastfeeding teachers. I thank my son Jordan; I learned everything about breastfeeding while he was on my breast. I thank my daughter Amber Joy for allowing me to nurse fearlessly with abandon.

She, my fierce womanchild, more than anyone carefully articulated the need for this book, and I thank her for allowing me to see her successfully breastfeed my three grandchildren at a time when she thought erroneously she could do nothing right. She reminded me constantly that other black women needed to hear what I had to say since so few might have a special mother