"This is the second time in recent days that I have seen a reference for the
slavery/wetnursing history as a possible reason for lower rates of
breastfeeding amongst African Americans. Does anyone have any research on
this?"

I ran into this topic in the book:
At The Breast:  Ideologies of Breastfeeding and Motherhood in the
Contemporary United States by Linda M. Blum

Blum, chapter by chapter, looks at middle-class white mothers (through the
LLL), white working-class mothers, and black working-class mothers. In
questioning them about their mothering decisions (not just breastfeeding)
she shows how these groups have very different factors that weigh into their
motherhood decisions.

For example, the middle-class mother sees the benefits of breastfeeding as
an edge to maintaining her threatened middle-class position. She usually has
a husband to support her, and sees the intact mother/father family unit as
necessary to successful child-rearing.

The white working class woman may lack the earnings of a man in the family,
so her route to upward class mobility is to either get married to her man,
or get him earning the money. So if that man is not supportive of
breastfeeding, it may be much more important to her to keep him happy, than
to gain the health benefits of breastfeeding.

In contrast, the black working-class woman often doesn't look to a man to
help her, but will work herself, and utilize her friends and family to help
raise her child. So often her most practical decision is to bottlefeed, so
anyone can care for the child.

As well, Blum suggests that there are carryover issues of slavery to deal
with. As slavery was often justified on the idea that "blacks were like
animals themselves", any appeals to promote breastfeeding on the basis of
its "naturalness" since we, too, are "mammals", may be totally repugnant to
the black woman.

The working class woman is much more open to scrutiny by the state through
the welfare and health system, and these women may rather formula feed (the
majority and approved method) than enduring the repeated interference that
getting support for breastfeeding success may require.

As a feminist, Blum sees the woman and her own best interest lost in debate.
She proposes that the pleasurable feelings, and the health advantages for
the mother be emphasized more.


I would be interested to know if others who have read the book find her
conclusions accurate.

Janice Reynolds

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