BGBC

Black Girls' Breastfeeding Club Founder, Dr. Ayanna Robinson, participated in the BMH x CLTR festival. During the event, she provided a demo of bEarth Work and participated in the The Black Maternal Health x Tech panel. The panel highlighted the latest innovative and groundbreaking technological advancements and apps revolutionizing the current state of #BlackMaternalHealth in the U.S. and empowering Black Mamas with these cutting edge advancements. 
 

Black Girls' Breastfeeding Club Founder, Dr. Ayanna Robinson, was a guest on the For a Blk Girl Podcast. On the episode titled, "Breastfeeding: You Can Do it Sis", host B. Nicole and Dr. Robinson discuss normalizing Breastfeeding in the Black community, the benefits of and barriers to breastfeeding for Black women, contraindications, breastfeeding during the Covid-19 pandemic, and resources available for Black women. You can listen to the full episode here. 

August is our favorite month of the year and we have a full week of events. 

You can hear from our founder at events with the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Black Mom's Blog, and at the SugaBerry's Milk & Suga Summit. In addition to speaking at multiple events, we will be hosting a breastfeeding boot camp for new and expectant mothers. We have some amazing sponsors for our boot camp, including Aden and Anais, Medela, and Solly Baby! Mark your calendars and find the details in our blog post here.

Maternal deaths and breastfeeding disparities among Black women are public health crises. The newest project for Black Girls’ Breastfeeding Club is our bEarth Work app, which will launch in 2020. bEarth Work makes it easier for Black mothers and birthing persons to book virtual courses, classes, and support related to pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. 

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The app will feature online courses created by Black midwives, doulas, lactation support professionals and other Black health professionals. Are you a Black birth worker or health professional that creates online courses or classes for the prenatal and postpartum periods? Learn more about how to list your course(s) on bEarth work here. 

For inquiries related to this app, including ways you can support the development and launch or to receive details about featuring your course, please contact us at blackgirlsbreastfeedingclub@gmail.com. You can also read the full announcement on our blog here.
 

Join Ayanna Robinson on "Dish with the Doulas" at 7pm. Visit www.facebook.com/WarriorMamas to watch this event live.  The interview is available here.

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Check out this article on Baby Center featuring research conducted by Dr. Ayanna Robinson. Support is critical for breastfeeding mothers and we are excited that the use of social media support groups among Black mothers is being shared as a way to shift the infant feeding narrative and to also show the power of Black moms supporting one another along this journey.
 

 "Mothers often give up on breastfeeding earlier than they want to when they experience challenges or lack a supportive environment for breastfeeding," lead author Ayanna Robinson said, "but if she can access a support group online, it can make a big difference in her breastfeeding journey." 

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Read the full article, titled "Social media groups can offer valuable breastfeeding support", here.

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Happy Black Breastfeeding Week!! Join us at our Black Breastfeeding Week events at Spelman College and  a webinar with the Maternal Health Collective.  Visit the following link to register for the webinar, "Cirulating Black Feminist Thought to Dismantle Breastfeeding Inequities".

http://www.kimberlysealsallers.com/event/circulating-black-feminist-thought-breastfeeding/

In a study with Black mothers participating in Facebook support for breastfeeding, participants reported the highest amount of breastfeeding support received from their Facebook support group, in comparison to other sources of support. Facebook support also was significantly correlated with intended breastfeeding duration (p < 0.05). Read more in the latest publication by BGBC founder, Dr. Ayanna Robinson, in the Digital Health Journal.

This webinar highlighted the importance of acknowledging and citing Black women’s scholarship in Black Maternal Health research, and the research initiatives of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. Ayanna Robinson joined other members of the Research Work Group for the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to discuss a Black Feminist approach to conducting breastfeeding research. Watch the webinar here.

In this study, four focus groups were conducted with Black mothers who participate in breastfeeding support groups on Facebook. Check out the findings from this research study in the latest publication by BGBC founder, Dr. Ayanna Robinson, in the Journal of Human Lactation.