Cultural Awareness to Support Breastfeeding 

While you may know that breastmilk provides infants with many benefits such as nutrients and immune support, and that breastfeeding has many health benefits for moms as well, did you also know that someone’s culture can affect their feelings around breastfeeding? Understanding how someone’s culture affects their decisions about breastfeeding can help you provide support in a culturally sensitive way. Learning about someone’s culture may be an ongoing process, but it will certainly enhance your ability to work with others who come from different backgrounds.

A few examples of cultural beliefs surrounding breastfeeding are listed below:

• Some cultures believe that “milk runs right through” the infant and that breastmilk or formula cannot satisfy the baby. This belief is tied to the early introduction of solids and putting cereal in the infant’s bottle.
• In some communities, breastfeeding is discouraged because it is considered inappropriate for breasts to be viewed in public or used for feeding.
• Some cultures feel that the first few days of produced breastmilk is dirty and that it needs to be thrown away.
• In some cultures, breastfeeding is the norm in families and society. However, often, when they move to the United States, and more women work outside of the home, they may stop breastfeeding. Some may think formula is better because they believe that fatter babies are healthier, and formula is typically related to babies being heavier.
• In some cultures, it is considered bad practice to breastfeed when you are sad. In reality, breastfeeding can release mood-boosting hormones, but it is important not to dismiss their concerns and show respect for that woman’s cultural beliefs.

• When putting together an infant’s feeding plan, ask questions to learn about the mother’s culture so that you can develop a respectful plan of action to support breastfeeding that incorporates aspects of the mother’s culture. Doing this can help build personal connections and trust as well.
• Language may be a barrier for some women to receive the support and information they need to breastfeed. It may be helpful to provide bilingual materials or resources that may support them in their language. These resources can be directly offered to families or placed in key locations to reduce or eliminate this barrier for some.
• Displaying pictures through posters, books, or other items of families from different cultures breastfeeding can help demonstrate support of breastfeeding and make families feel more comfortable.
• Have a clear policy in place that documents how your childcare supports breastfeeding families and staff and make sure that all staff are aware of this policy.

Most of all, it is important to recognize that each mother has a different view on breastfeeding. It is important to acknowledge that we each come from diverse backgrounds and bring with us our own beliefs and cultural perceptions. Any woman lacking breastfeeding support is more likely to stop breastfeeding sooner. Support can come from many different sources including childcare providers.

Building Confidence in the COVID-19 Vaccination

Learn how to protect yourself, your family and community from the COVID-19 virus and its variants through this online training. The course covers information on vaccine hesitancy and building vaccine confidence Subject matter experts in the field provide answers to frequently asked questions. Together we can build community immunity and get back to living a safe and healthy life. This course is being offered free of charge to child care providers in Washington State and offers 1.0 in-service (STARS) credit. Click here to register.

ALSO AVAILABLE IN SPANISH: Fomento de la confianza en la vacunación COVID-19

Brain Building Moments with Vroom

Take this course to learn all about Vroom, a science-based program that early learning providers can use to promote brain development among children in their care. Brain building with children during their first 5 years gives them a strong base for lifelong learning. Vroom celebrates the powerful motivation that unites caregivers -- a sense of pride and resourcefulness to provide the best start in life for children -- while being flexible and adaptable to meet the unique needs of diverse groups and communities. And Vroom is achievable within the reality of caregivers' busy lives and doesn't require extra time or money. Learn how to access and use this wonderful free resource. This course is free and provides 1 in-service (STARS) credit. Click here to register.