Yasmeen Lee

The World Health Organization recommends six months of exclusive breastfeeding for infants. Race disparities exist, where only 27.9% of black women exclusively breastfeed at 6 months compared to 45.1% of white mothers. Previous research suggests that these disparities are due to a variety of factors including poor paid leave policies, racism, and bias. This mixed-method study aimed to understand the racialized experiences of breastfeeding among black millennials and whether social media is a space that could impact the effects of racism. Social media has a significant influence on black millennials’ lives, yet little research has explored its connection to breastfeeding. The quantitative phase involved a 48-item online survey (N=51) and included questions about demographics, breastfeeding, social media use, and the Major Experiences of Discrimination Scale. Quantitative survey results informed the qualitative phase of the study which included three focus groups (N=15). Participants were recruited through social media sites, emails to breastfeeding/black maternal health organizations, and local partnerships. Inclusion criteria included self-identification as a black/African American woman, born between 1981-1996, and having at least one child five years or younger. Six major themes emerged from the qualitative analysis including: (1) institutional racism & barriers, (2) challenges to motherhood, (3) black experiences, (4) breastfeeding in the millennial age, and (5) social media impact and (6) hopes for the community. Results show that black millennial mothers use social media to support their breastfeeding journey, although not specifically as a strategy to impact racism/bias, though they expressed being treated differently and poorly due to race. Further research should explore differences between online social support and in-person support groups for black millennial mothers, additionally to how social media can become more inclusive for this population.