Celebrating Native Breastfeeding Week!

National Breastfeeding Month 2020 continues in the US!  This week, from Sunday, August 9, to Saturday, August 15, breastfeeding, chestfeeding, and human milk feeding is celebrated as part of Native Breastfeeding Week – #StrongResilientLatched. 

On the Native Breastfeeding Week Facebook page, we are reminded that this week addresses “the inequity and injustice of Indigenous parents and their abilities to practice their roles in accordance to the tribal communities they descend from. There are so many that work across Turtle Island to ensure all parents have the access and opportunity to reclaim their right to freely nurse their children for however long they need to or are able to.”  

During the kickoff event on Sunday, the Native Breastfeeding Week planning committee shared that this week provides a “snapshot of the Native or Indigenous peoples lactating stories.” It is the sharing of breastfeeding experiences, lifting up the stories of Native and Indigenous peoples “to reclaim this powerful tradition.”  We all need to learn more, to listen to the stories shared about the breastfeeding experiences of Native and indigenous peoples. Where can we learn? To get started, visit the Native Breastfeeding Week Facebook page. It provides events that are scheduled every day this week, including a Sunrise Ceremony each morning and Support Circle discussions on relevant topics. Read the post, Native American Women DO Breastfeed, by Camie Jae Goldhammer, a Native Breastfeeding Week planning committee member, who writes that “Native American women DO breastfeed. This is something we don’t talk about often” and shares experiences learned during community events from Native peoples. Check out the breastfeeding story shared today on the La Leche League USA New Beginnings blog – Native Breastfeeding Week: Restoring Indigenous Breastfeeding in My Family Lineage.  Native Breastfeeding Week celebrates the breastfeeding journeys of Native and Indigenous families, lifting up this important tradition and reminding us that “Native American women DO breastfeed.”