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Perinatal Nurses: Key To Increasing African American Breast-Feeding Rates, Karen Marie Robinson

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Breast milk is the ideal source of nutrition for infants for at least the first 6 months of life. Despite women in the United States reaching national objectives for breast-feeding initiation (75%), racial disparities persist. According to the most recent data, 83% of white mothers initiated breast-feeding whereas only 66% African American mothers did so. Breast-feeding initiation may be amenable to perinatal nursing intervention. Breast-feeding may be a practice that helps bridge the racial divide in perinatal outcomes among African American families. Nurses have an essential role in embracing breast-feeding promotion and support to patients who are least likely to …

Reactions Of Low-Income African American Women To Breastfeeding Peer Counselors, Karen Marie Robinson, Leona Vandevusse, Jamarrah Foster

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

To examine the influence of breastfeeding peer counseling on the breastfeeding experiences of African American mothers who participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Design

Qualitative study using focus groups.

Setting

Two WIC clinics in Southeast Wisconsin were used for recruitment and data collection.

Participants

A convenience sample of nine African American mothers participated in one of two focus groups.

Methods

The women responded to a series of open-ended questions about their breastfeeding experiences and the effect of breastfeeding peer counselors (BPCs). Content and thematic analyses were used to analyze patterns related to …