Nourish, Sustain, Thrive: Honoring Indigenous Milk Medicine Week

During Indigenous Milk Medicine Week, we celebrate and honor Indigenous life-givers and their unique milk-feeding experiences. Life-giving and milk-feeding are both awe-inspiring powers, testaments to the strength and wonder of the human body!

Lack of knowledge about breastfeeding, unsupportive cultural and social norms, concerns about milk supply, poor family and social support, and unsupportive work and childcare environments make it difficult for many mothers/parents to meet their breastfeeding goals. It is the “political, social, and environmental factors that actually shape breastfeeding.

Why Indigenous Milk Medicine Week is important

While breastfeeding rates in the United States have increased over the past decade, racial and ethnic health disparities continue. Health disparities are differences in the health of one group of people compared to the health of other groups of people.

While more research on Native American breastfeeding trends is needed, a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that Native American babies are breastfed at lower rates than other babies in the United States.?In fact, while 84.1% of all babies in this country are breastfed at some point in their lives, only 78.4% of Native Americans (including American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians) are ever breastfed. According to experts, this health disparity is because of a lack of Native American lactation consultants and past cultural issues in Native communities that disrupted family bonds.?

Despite the disparities, research shows that Native American parents who were still breastfeeding their babies after 6 months were more likely to continue breastfeeding for at least 12 months. And this is incredible news!

From Grassroots to Impact

The Indigenous Milk Medicine Collective (IMMC) is a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting Native first food experiences, healing, wellness, and equity in Indigenous milk practices.

The IMMC promotes Indigenous Milk Medicine and upholds traditional teachings to increase visibility and cultural preservation.

IMMC is working on expanding lactation support, advancing food sovereignty, and advocating for Indigenous-led solutions through educational sessions, community organizing, fundraising, partnerships, and hosting the annual Indigenous Milk Medicine Week.

Supporting Native first food experiences, honoring traditional kinship practices, and promoting equity in Indigenous health practices is essential for reclaiming cultural sovereignty and ensures the well-being of Indigenous populations.

Resources

• Indigenous Milk Medicine Week: Supporting Native moms on their breastfeeding journeys
• First Nations Health Authority
• Indigenous Milk Medicine Collective
• Honoring Indigenous Milk Medicine Week: “Nourishing Our Futures”
• American Indian and Alaska Native Maternal and Infant Mortality: Challenges and Opportunities
• Breastfeeding Promotion and Support from the Federal Indian Health Service
• Native Americans Feel Invisible In U.S. Health Care System
• Decolonizing data, for Indigenous people, by Indigenous people.
• Discussions with Urban American Indian & Alaska Native Parents: Keeping Babies Health and Safe