Willow, creator of the first and only leak-proof smart wearable breast pump on the market, today announces its Lactation Consultant Equity Project as part of its support for Black Breastfeeding Week. Willow will provide scholarships to prospective lactation consultants to improve diversity in the lactation field and support moms of color to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration.
According to the CDC, Black women have the lowest breastfeeding initiation rate of all racial groups and the shortest breastfeeding duration, making Black babies the least likely to be breastfed. The CDC recommends that breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for most infants and it can also reduce the risk for certain health conditions for both infants and mothers. Black infants are 15% less likely to have ever been breastfed than White infants.
These disparities are caused by the entrenched structural barriers to breastfeeding that Black mothers face, including a lack of support and guidance from the medical system, workplaces, friends and family, a lack of diversity in the lactation field, and other social stigmas. Black Breastfeeding Week was established to celebrate Black mothers and address their unique challenges and experiences with breastfeeding.
“We’ve seen the breastfeeding rate for Black women increase from 15 percent to 39 percent when supported by a lactation consultant,” said Willow Chief Executive Officer, Laura Chambers. “Yet women of color are more likely to experience racism and discrimination in the healthcare system. We believe that Lactation consultants of color are the best providers of care for mothers of color. We hope the Willow Lactation Consultant Equity Project will help address the structural barriers creating a lack of diversity in the lactation field and ultimately better support Moms of color and their babies.”
Willow’s Lactation Consultant Equity Project will cover the International Board Certified Lactation Consultants exam fees, which are $660 per exam. By establishing this scholarship fund, Willow is helping to eliminate significant financial barriers and expand diversity within the industry. Interested prospective lactation consultants must apply by September 30, 2021, at bit.ly/willow-lc-equity.
For additional information and how to apply for the scholarship, please visit Willow’s blog on Closing the Representation Gap in the IBCLC Community.
About Willow®
Founded in 2014, Willow ® forever changed the way women pump with the world's first all-in-one, in-bra wearable breast pump. The Willow Wearable Breast Pump features innovative technology that enables total spill-proof mobility while pumping, ditching long tubes, cords, dangling bottles and loud sucking sounds so moms can pump wherever their day takes them.
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