Every August, Breastfeeding Month invites us to celebrate human milk and recognize the many ways it supports the health and well-being of babies, parents, and communities.

The conversations we have during this week often focus on individual choices and individual success. But these narratives can unintentionally suggest that breastfeeding is simply a matter of motivation or determination.

As an IBCLC, I’ve learned that a different question often leads to a more meaningful conversation.

Instead of asking, “How do we help more parents breastfeed?” perhaps we should be asking, “What kind of society makes breastfeeding possible?”

Because breastfeeding doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

It happens within the context of healthcare systems, family support, workplace policies, community resources, and the everyday realities of a someone’s life. While breastfeeding is deeply personal, the ability to meet one’s feeding goals is often shaped by factors far beyond an individual’s control.

When a new parent encounters feeding challenges, one instinct is to focus on the feeding itself.

Can the latch be improved? Can pumping efforts be increased? Position? Alignment?

While important, these questions are only one small piece of the puzzle.

A family’s feeding journey is also shaped by questions, including:

• Can they afford to take parental leave?
• Do they have access to timely lactation support?
• Can they find an IBCLC in their community?
• What guidance are they receiving from their healthcare team?
• Do they have transportation to appointments?
• Do they have supportive family or community around them?
• When they ask for help, do they feel listened to, respected, and believed?

As birthworkers, we see that feeding challenges rarely happen in isolation. They often exist alongside financial pressures, housing insecurity, navigating healthcare, and adjusting to a completely new season of life.

Making breastfeeding outcomes reflect the systems surrounding families rather than an individual’s efforts.

If strong support systems matter for everyone, then we also have to ask another question:

Is access to these supports equitable?

Not for many people of the Global Majority. This is why Black Breastfeeding Week is so important.

Sometimes the conversation begins and ends with history. The legacy of slavery disrupted breastfeeding traditions, separated families, and fractured generations of knowledge and trust. That history is real, and its impacts continue to be felt today.

But if we stop there, we risk overlooking the barriers that Black families continue to face today.

When healthcare professionals encourage parents to “reach out for support,” there is an assumption that support is available to everyone in the same way. Of course, the reality is much more complex.

Time is one of the greatest predictors of feeding success, and time is deeply connected to financial stability. Canada offers a generous parental leave compared to many countries, but Employment Insurance replaces only a portion of a person’s income, and not every family qualifies for or can afford to take this leave. 

Financial realities are not experienced equally. A Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives analysis found that, in 2015, racialized women earned 59 cents and racialized men earned 78 cents for every dollar earned by non-racialized men. Lower earnings mean less financial flexibility to take a leave, return to work gradually, purchase a pump, or pay out-of-pocket for services like lactation support. When breastfeeding success depends on having time, income, and workplace flexibility, the racial pay gap becomes a feeding equity issue.

Representation also matters. Many Black parents still move through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care without seeing providers who reflect their lived experiences. They may attend parenting groups or feeding clinics where they are welcomed, but not necessarily represented. Feeling seen and understood helps build trust, encourages families to seek support early, and creates a stronger sense of belonging.

Accessibility is another challenge. Breastfeeding is widely recognized as one of the most effective public health strategies for improving the health of babies and lactating parents, yet IBCLC services are not covered under any provincial or territorial public health insurance plan. While IBCLCs provide invaluable specialized care, that support often comes at a cost that is simply out of reach for many families. Some municipalities and community organizations offer publicly funded lactation services, but availability varies widely and often comes with barriers such as limited appointments, wait times, or eligibility requirements.

Discrimination, bias or dismissal within healthcare can compound these realities for Black families. Eroded trust makes asking for help much more complicated.

None of these barriers exist in isolation. Together, they shape whether families are able to meet their infant-feeding goals. Breastfeeding doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens within systems that distribute time, income, healthcare, and support unequally.

As birthworkers, we cannot redesign parental leave policies, eliminate systemic racism, solve healthcare funding or create universal access to lactation care overnight.

But we can strengthen the systems immediately surrounding the families we support (preferably prenatally) by:

• helping parents navigate community resources
• connecting families with IBCLCs, peer support groups, and culturally relevant organizations.
• advocating for informed, respectful perinatal care
• recognizing when feeding challenges are rooted in structural barriers rather than assuming a lack of commitment or effort
• (most importantly) creating spaces where families feel safe enough to ask questions, share concerns, and define success for themselves.

As birthworkers, our role extends beyond teaching feeding techniques. We are advocates, navigators, and trusted members of a family’s support network. By understanding the systems that shape infant feeding, we become better equipped to recognize barriers, connect families with meaningful resources, and advocate for more equitable care.

Infant feeding doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens within systems. And if we want more families to meet their feeding goals, we must continue building communities where every parent has access to the support, trust, and resources they deserve.

About the Author: Aunjrya Fleming

Aunjrya is the EDI lead for Doula School. She is a Registered Nurse and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) with a deep commitment to reproductive justice. She brings years of experience working with racialized, refugee, and 2SLGBTQIA+ families as a maternal health navigator, educator, and advocate. Aunjrya is passionate about building equity-informed spaces that center safety, dignity, and agency for all birthing people.

Want to deepen your knowledge and confidence in lactation support? Explore our Lactation for Birth Workers course and expand the support you can offer to families throughout their feeding journey.