Mom outraged after nurse doubted she would breastfeed because of the color of her skin
A mom is speaking out after an incident at the hospital that took place shortly after she gave birth to twins.
Cierra Robison, from Texas, went into premature labor with her twin girls. Born at 34 weeks, the twins were taken to the neonatal intensive care unit for checkups and monitoring from the hospital. And when Robison arrived at the NICU, most nurses were reportedly "supportive" of her decision to breastfeed, said PopSugar.
However, Robison's interaction with the head NICU nurse at the hospital was different and upsetting. The mom shared the worrisome interaction to the Facebook group and Instagram account "Black Women Do Breastfeed", and her story has since gone viral.
A post shared by Black Women Do Breastfeed (@bwdbf) on Jun 6, 2017 at 11:05am PDT
The nurse questioned Robison, asking her why she wanted to breastfeed and suggesting that her twins might not successfully latch onto her. "Once she found out I was going to be breastfeeding, she asked, 'Now let me ask you a question . . . why do you want to breastfeed?' I was completely dumbfounded," Robison explained to PopSugar.
And while the nurse was convinced that the babies would need formula to supplement their feeding, Robison maintains the babies latched on as early as "1 day old."
According to the nurse, only eight percent of African American women breastfeed because of a "negative stigma due to wet nursing during slavery." Despite the nurses claim, the CDC reports that in 2008, an estimated 59% of black women breastfed their children. an increase from years prior.
As evidenced by the online community "Black Women Do Breastfeed," these new mothers are working to combat those stigmas one baby at a time.
Way to go, mamas!
(h/t PopSugar)
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