Challenges of breastfeeding amongst Latina immigrants

Really painful but doable. Not as bad as I expected. Those are my first answers when someone asks me about the birth of my son. I always tell people that the most difficult part for me was after the birth, especially when it came to breastfeeding.

As a first-time mom, I read many books about motherhood but I never paid much attention to the section about breastfeeding. I signed up for the breastfeeding classes offered by my hospital, but I got sick that day and did not rescheduled.  How hard could it be I thought?

I had most of the imaginable problems that first moms encounter with breastfeeding. For a while I thought I was the only one having all those difficulties. However, in my journey through motherhood, I have met many women who have had terrible experiences with nursing.

I have many questions about this subject now and I am determined to find some answers. That is why one of the stories that I proposed for the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowship will focus on this topic.  Essentially, I want to write the article that I have never read and hopefully help some women directly. 

Many people do not know that besides being the best food for babies, breast milk provides many other long-term health benefits to the mothers and ultimately to their communities. I will explore the case of Latina immigrants in this country and the challenges they face when it comes to nursing their children. There are studies that demonstrate that there are substantial disparities in both breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in the United States. These disparities are shaped by a number of sociodemographic factors, including race, ethnicity and income.

I will also research the breastfeeding policies at hospitals as well as in workplaces in California.

For my other two stories I will explore the mental health of Latino children and youth and the health and health care access problems for Latino construction workers.

My stories will be published in El Mensajero Newspaper (www.elmensajero.com), the publication that I currently write for as a freelance reporter.