April 2012 Breastfeeding Mother of Color of the Month: Maria Galvan-Briseno

The month of April is very dear to us because one of our founders has a birthday this month and the other founder's mother's birthday is in the month of April as well. So, it is pure coincidence the breastfeeding mother we are highlighting this month is celebrating another year of life this month as well, Maria Galvan-Briseno.  We pick her this month for all the work she is doing on the South Side of Chicago in the Latino Community.  She is a powerful force who is making so much positive, uplifting change we had to share her story with the world. We thank you, Maria, for all you do and the lactivist in you. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you...

Name Maria Galvan-Briseno

Profession Certified Breastfeeding Counselor at Chicago Family Health Center

Children  Emmanuel 16, Pedro 9, and Daniel 7

How long did you breastfeed?  

With Emmanuel, I pumped my milk for a year.  With Pedro, I nursed at the breast for sixteen months and Daniel I breastfed him for thirty-two months.

How did you know to breastfeed?  

I didn't know about breastfeeding.  My mother made me do it. I was upset at her for making me but as time went on I learned how convenient it was.

Please explain to us your overall breastfeeding experience. 

I was eighteen when Emmanuel was born.  The hospital staff did not support me nor educated me on breastfeeding.  Emmanuel was jaundice and stayed in the hospital for two weeks.  I was clueless about jaundice.  I did not know what to do.  During our visits at the hospital the nurses did not mention breastfeeding to me.  I started pumping my milk for him.  He never latched on and  it made me cry knowing my baby did not want my breast.  Thankfully, my mother educated me and my husband about breastfeeding.  My middle son, Pedro, nursed for sixteen months, even during my pregnancy with my third.  Pedro was on strike for a while since my milk transitioned to colostrum.  My youngest son, Daniel, was the perfect nurser.

How are you inspired by your breastfeeding experience?

Breastfeeding has taught me to listen to my children and respect their individuality.  Each of my sons have their own unique personality, special in their own way.

Were there any obstacles you had to overcome during your breastfeeding experience? 
When Pedro was born my husband was on sick leave due to angina.  I was running around to Doctor visits and the hospital.  My stress level was decreasing my supply.  Luckily, I had support to help me continue to nurse.

How do you think being a Mother of Color effects your breastfeeding experience?
Sadly, growing up I did not see any breastfeeding mothers, just my mother.  Hispanic women come to America wanting to be the American woman so they think formula is being American.  It would have been nice to see Hispanic women breastfeed in my community.

What are some of the ways you inspire other mothers to breastfeed and get the word of encouragement out in the community?
I always ask pregnant women, "Are you breastfeeding?"  If I get, "No, I have not thought about it."  I give them a basic breastfeeding class right there.

Feel free to share anything else about your breastfeeding experience and maternal story of growth.

Breastfeeding gave me the knowledge to be good mother.  Reading books was helpful but I quickly learned that my sons had a story to teach me. I listen to them everyday and I'm still learning from them.

Maria Galvan-Briseno is the oldest of six children and the only girl.  She is a Certified Breastfeeding Peer Counselor at Federally Qualified Health Center and hospital on the South Side of Chicago.  She lives in Northwest Indiana with her loving husband and three boys who keep her very busy.  She is a lactivist who enjoys sharing her knowledge of breastfeeding to as many women as possible in the Latino and Black Communities.

March 2012 Breastfeeding Mother of Color of the Month: Chanel Grayson-Strong

Yes, it is March and we are so happy to introduce to you our MARCH BREASTFEEDING MOTHER OF COLOR OF THE MONTH!  She is another mother of multiples and we chose her because she is still breastfeeding while teaching full-time.  Many times we hear how difficult it is to pump working as an educator especially in public schools where your time is constantly demanded.  Chanel Grayson-Strong still finds the time and energy to work through all of that and provide her twins with enough breastmilk everyday.  She has a very stressful job and runs home to nurse and cuddle with them.  We salute Chanel in her breastfeeding endeavors and thank her for her dedication to providing her babies the nourishment they need.  Let's give a round of applause to...

Name  Chanel Grayson-Strong

Profession  High School Teacher

Children & Ages  Boy/Girl Twins (7 months)

How long have you been breastfeeding?  7 months and still going STRONG!!

How did you know to breastfeed?  I family and friends that breastfed and insisted that I did as well.  I was explained the benefits by my doctors, family members, and friends.

Please explain to us your overall breastfeeding experience.  My overall breastfeeding experience has been positive.  I set realistic expectations and I knew that it was an experience with benefits for both myself and my children that I wanted to provide.

How are you inspired by your breastfeeding experience?  I always knew that I wanted to breastfeed.  I was really adamant about it.  When I make up my mind that I want to do something because it’s most beneficial for my family’s well being, I stop at nothing until it is accomplished.  So even though I was met with some breastfeeding challenges early on, I enlisted the help of two lactation specialists, a host of friends that breastfeed, and I made a schedule, got into a routine, positioned the babies so that we were all comfortable, and just set my mind to do it.  It has been a wonderful bonding experience for us all.

Were there any obstacles you had to overcome during your breastfeeding experience?   Yes, in the very beginning, my son had issues with latching, sucking, and reflux.  Also, my milk did not fully come in until 10 days after delivery.  This was my biggest challenge, but with a little patience and persistence, everything worked out and both babies are avid nursers.

How do you think being a Mother of Color affects your breastfeeding experience?   I think that most people don’t expect to see a mother of color breastfeeding.  People automatically assume that you will give your baby formula.  Especially in my case, since I had two, but I knew a mother who exclusively breastfeed her twins, so I knew that it was possible and I wanted to do it.  On the flip side, I know that women of color all around the world, especially in third world countries, have no other options but to breastfeed so it really shouldn’t be a stigma that is placed based on race.

What are some of the ways you inspire other mothers to breastfeed and get the word of encouragement out in the community?   First, I always ask and respect a mother’s choice.  I share the advantages/benefits of breastfeeding and my own personal experience.  I always give breastfeeding gifts at baby showers, such as a nursing pillow and mother’s milk tea.

Chanel Grayson-Strong lives in Chicago with her very supportive husband and their STRONG 7 month old twins.  She is a very passionate high school English teacher that finds time to pump enough milk for her babies while educating inner-city teenagers.  Chanel is a graduate of the University of Iowa and received her Master's degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  She is also an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

February 2012 Breastfeeding Mother of Color of the Month: Elita Kalma

We are so excited to have one of our closest lactavist friends as our February Breastfeeding Mother of Color of the Month, Elita Kalma.  Elita is very influential in the breastfeeding/lactavist world, especially among us Black Mommies.  Her nationally known and followed blog, Blacktating inspires so many women across racial and cultural lines.  For many of us, she has given us a voice and a social media outlet to express our concerns, questions, thoughts and loves.  The Abiyamo Omo Society is so happy to announce Elita as our BMOCOTM for February because this is the month Black skin is highlighted and our culture is celebrated.  She is the perfect person to applaud this month.  So, without further ado we honor you, Elita, for your strength, voice and passion in the world of maternal-child health. We thank you.

Name: Elita Kalma

Profession: Librarian

Children & Ages: Miles, 4 & Aminah, 4 months

How long did/are you breastfeed(ing)? Miles was breastfed for 3 years and Aminah is still happily nursing.

How did you know to breastfeed? My mom breastfed me until I was about 18 months old so I always knew if I had children that I would breastfeed them.

Please explain to us your overall breastfeeding experience. Both of my kids were tongue-tied so breastfeeding was very tough in the beginning. With Miles, my pediatrician said his frenulum looked “a little tight” but that it was “no big deal.” I suffered through sore nipples, poor milk transfer and slow weight gain and no one ever told me the “slightly tight frenulum” might be to blame. Somehow we managed but Miles had to nurse every hour on the hour in order to get enough milk and keep my supply up. I tried to wean him as gently and slowly as possible but when I knew I wanted to try for another baby I just weaned him cold turkey on his 3^rd birthday (we were down to about once a week at that point anyway) and I got pregnant with Aminah a few weeks later. Her tongue tie was noticed and clipped right away and we’ve enjoyed a very easy breastfeeding relationship since, with plenty of milk and steady weight gain!

How are you inspired by your breastfeeding experience? I would not be a blogger or activist today if I had not breastfed. It is no exaggeration to say breastfeeding has been life changing for me. It has made me a more patient, better mother and a crusader to get every woman to be open to the idea of breastfeeding and to support her throughout her journey.

Are there any obstacles you have to overcome during your breastfeeding experience? Besides the two tongue ties, the toughest thing for me has been working. I’m one of those women who just doesn’t let down easily for a pump and I have found it incredibly difficult to maintain a supply while working out of the home full-time.

How do you think being a Mother of Color effects your breastfeeding experience? Definitely some health care workers I’ve encountered have been surprised that I was breastfeeding because I am a black woman. I’ve also gotten the benefit of being able to be a role model of sorts for other women of color who breastfeed. I get a lot of emails from women who have no support for breastfeeding in their real, day-to-day lives and are so grateful to know there is another mother out there who does things the way they do.

What are some of the ways you inspire other mothers to breastfeed and get the word of encouragement out in the community? Between my blog and Twitter feed (@Blacktating) I try to encourage and support women in our community to breastfeed. In addition I make myself available to friends and family members and their friends and family members. People have come to think of me as someone with breastfeeding knowledge and will contact me if they have questions, which is very cool!

Feel free to share anything else about your breastfeeding experience and maternal story of growth.

I wish every woman could experience breastfeeding as total bliss, bonding and love. Yes, it can be tough at the beginning, but everything you’ve been through in your pregnancy, labor and delivery to get that baby wasn't easy either. The idea that you can build and grow a perfect little person with your body and then feed and nurture her with your breasts is absolutely awesome and amazing.

Elita Kalma is the mom to Miles, a preschooler, and newborn baby girl Aminah. She is a librarian by day and a lactivist all of the time. She started her blog, Blacktating, in 2008 as a side project while on maternity leave and it is now her third baby. When she's not reading, writing and tweeting about breastfeeding, Elita enjoys celebrity gossip, cooking, wine and traveling.

Meditate On This!

Just curious, how would you, being a Lactavist, Lactation Consultant or breastfeeding advocate, approach this woman if she was talking to you?


"[Th]is sooo random today. Soooo, while doing pre-registration for Labor & Delivery, I changed my mind (again) about breast-feeding. I'm not gonna do it. The nurse looked at me like she was mad. I almost let the B-word fly...um, are you gonna have a baby hanging off YOUR booby, ma'am? Um, no. Gee to the whiz....that's cool...i also have 3 very active boys and all the stuff they do...they were all formula fed and havent really had major health issues. I agree it's probably better...there are just a lot of dynamics involved that made me choose what i feel is the right thing for my baby. Kudos to those that can & do breastfeed tho :)"

This is an actual quote, by the way, I got from the internet.  It is definitely something to meditate about and think about how you would respond.  Hmmm...

EDUCATION, EMPOWERMENT & ENLIGHTENMENT!

The Abiyamo Omo Society's First Breastfeeding Mother of the Month (December 2011)

The Abiyamo Omo Society is excited to introduce our first Breastfeeding Mother of the Month, Cydya Stevenson Thomas.  Each month we will highlight a Black or Brown Breastfeeding Mother who enjoyed her Breastfeeding experience and whose story needs to be shared.  This month we chose Cydya for her passion, advocacy and overall positive spirit.  She also just joined our team at The Monolatry Group.  She is our Marketing Director.  So, we honor her this month and applaud her.  Here is her interview...

Your Name: Cydya Stevenson Thomas

Your Profession: Sales Operations Manager

Your Child’s Name & Age: London Jada Thomas, 6 months old

How long are you breastfeeding?  I will breastfeed at least 1 year.

How did you know to breastfeed?  My mother breastfed all 3 of my brothers and me so, it wasn’t a thought to do it.  I just knew I needed to breastfeed.

Please explain to us your overall breastfeeding experience.  My overall experience has been wonderful. It is great for London and great for my health.  It keeps my metabolism up, reduces my risk of getting ovarian, uterine and breast cancer, keeps London healthy, keeps her immune system up, and it creates bond between us.

How are you inspired by your breastfeeding experience?  My breastfeeding experience inspires me to be a great mother/provider/caregiver for London.

Are there any obstacles you had to overcome during your breastfeeding experience?  I went to Aruba for 6 days for my honeymoon and I didn’t pump enough while I was gone.  My supply went down and I was afraid I was not going to be able to increase it.  I had to pump a lot even after I finished feeding her.  I also bought Fenugreek and Fennel supplements and Mothers Milk tea to aid in production.

What are some of the ways you inspire other mothers to breastfeed and get the word of encouragement out in the community?  I inspire other mothers to breastfeed by setting an example.  I tell other mothers the benefits of breastfeeding for the health of their babies, their health, and their pockets.  Breastmilk is free!  It is always on hand, you don’t have to worry about trying to mix a bottle or warm up anything.  It is very convenient.  I have recently joined The Monolatry Group, a company that supports, educates and aids breastfeeding mothers.

Cydya Stevenson Thomas is a military brat who spent most of her life in Central America, Asia, and Europe.  She currently resides in Kansas City, KS.  After graduating high school in Italy, she moved to Tallahassee, Florida to attend Florida A&M University.  She graduated in 2007 with a B.S. in Business Administration and remained in Florida until 2010.  Today, she works as a Sales Operations Manager at a Kansas City company and as Marketing Director for The Monolatry Group.  She recently married Jamaal Thomas who she met while attending FAMU and he fully supports her Breastfeeding their 6-month old daughter, London Jada, who is their pride and joy.  They are moving to a Chicago suburb this month.