African-Americans may be getting inferior breastfeeding advice

Mothers who give birth in areas with higher concentrations of African-Americans are less likely to get breastfeeding support on maternity wards than mothers in other communities, a new study shows.

Breastfeeding provides well-documented health benefits to infants and their mothers. But African-American women are about 16 percent less likely to nurse their newborns than white women, according to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The study of 2,727 American hospitals and birth centers sought to uncover the reasons for the racial disparities.

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Breast-feeding mom's college graduation photo stirs controversy

With her arms wrapped around her baby, the California mom who nursed her 3-month-old daughter at her college graduation in cap and gown last month — an image now going viral — was filled with pride and happiness. And she doesn’t know what all the fuss is about.

“I was proud of the fact that not only did I graduate but that I got to share the moment with the one person who is the most important to me and that is my daughter,” Karlesha Thurman said Monday.

The photo which shows her baby at her breast, has racked up many words of support in recent days, but also drew some negative comments as well. Some said it was inappropriate, that she should have covered up — and worse.

Thurman, who earned her accounting degree, said she never wanted attention because of the photo and didn’t realize that some people have a problem with public breast-feeding. She didn’t think twice about nursing amid her fellow graduates, and has never had a problem nursing where she needed to.

“I honestly thought that as a society, people were more understanding to breast-feeding and understood the importance of breast-feeding,” said Thurman, 25.

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