Last year marked the very first Semana de La Lactancia Latina as part of National Breastfeeding Month. Though the official celebration is still young, the 2024 tema: Reclamando Nuestra Cultura Por Medio de la Lactancia/ 2024 theme: Reclaiming Culture Through Lactation (September 3-9), reminds us of the ancient and deeply-rooted birth and infant feeding traditions throughout Latin culture.
Semana de La Lactancia Latina was originally created by the Union de Lideres de Lactancia Latino (Latinx Lactation Collective) in an effort to uplift voices from the Latino/x community and to celebrate the diverse cultures of Latino communities while also bringing awareness to the unique barriers faced by these communities including language justice.
LLL USA shared this lively account of breastfeeding– Celebrating Latina/x Breastfeeding Week (Semana de La Lactancia Latina): Chuchú— a window into the beautiful act of raising children on one peninsula. The original and English translation were contributed by La Leche League Leaders in the LLL Intercultural Area.
“In Yucatan, since ancient times, we have a specific word to identify breastfeeding [both as a verb and as a substantive]; it is a short word, but to me, as a proud Yucatecan, it feels full of joy, abundance, and comfort. Chuchú comes from the Maya language, specifically from the verb Chu’uch which means to breastfeed.
Chuchú is as standardized in our culture as cochinita pibil, a delicious typical dish made with pork, seasoned with local spices and condiments, as well as sour orange, whose cooking is usually done by digging a hole in the ground, covering it with banana leaves, stones and charcoal and takes hours under low heat to reach the perfect flavor. Similar to Chuchú, it requires patience, delicacy in its process, combining both ancestral and present-time skills.
A typical way to give Chuchú in Yucatán is to do so while lying in a hammock, swaying naturally or vigorously to cool off from the hot climate of the peninsula. I confess that this is my favorite way, position to give Chuchú to my youngest son, Marcelo, the third child or xtup of the family (pequeño or menor in Maya), to enjoy these moments like I did with our other children. The hammock, Chuchú, and our love are the perfect combination that has prevailed since the generations of my ancestors.”
HealthConnect One’s Brenda Reyes, RN, CLC in Reclaiming Latino/Hispanic birth and breastfeeding traditions reiterates that Latino/Hispanic culture is not homogenous, so she shares tradition from a personal perspective.
During her pregnancy, her family rallied around her, protecting her and her growing baby from the effects of stress.
“My ancestors had a very clear idea and connection about emotion and stress [during pregnancy and beyond,]” Reyes begins. “They knew the impact of emotion.”
That meant household chores were alleviated from her routine during the “Cuarentena,” 40 days after the postpartum period. Food and nutrition were central to the support she received too. She learned from her mother and grandmother about the importance of healthy activity during pregnancy, and the way movement could replace medicalized pain intervention during birth. Once she gave birth, she carried her baby in a rebozo, the same way her mother carried her.
In conjunction with uplifting beautiful traditions, Reyes reminds us that we must also acknowledge the barriers Latino/Hispanic families face and take action to diminish these challenges.
For one, Reyes explains language barriers.
Not only are institutions failing to provide health services in a culturally humble or sensitive way; at its worst, information and services aren’t even being communicated or provided to them, she begins.
“We deal with institutional racism,” Reyes continues. And Latino/Hispanic families are impacted by immigration issues.
“Immigration impacts a very large percentage of our community,” Reyes says. Often unvoiced, she says immigration needs to become part of our national discussion around maternal child health, because Latino/Hispanic communities carry the stress of immigration status which has far-reaching implications like foregoing or discontinuing prenatal and postpartum care.
Moreover, Latina mothers are working mothers and need workplace policies to support them. There’s also a lack of leadership opportunities for Latino people.
This year, you can engage through the Latina/x Breastfeeding Week Facebook page by posting your events to their calendar, joining a virtual ceremony, among other opportunities. Find other ways to act by following the Binational Breastfeeding Coalition on instagram.
For more Latino/Hispanic perinatal stories and resources, check out:
Young, determined and capable: celebrating youth advocates within maternal child health
USBC’s Hispanic Heritage Month resources
