Is Beyonce Breastfeeding?

On the red carpet at the recent BET Honors show in DC, Beyonce's former Destiny's Child bandmate Michelle was interviewed and of course she was asked about baby Blue. 

“We’ve been doing everything, whatever [Beyonce] needs," said Williams. Though there is one thing the ladies can’t help their superstar friend with. “No breastfeeding,” joked Williams. “Ain’t no milk coming out.”



Beyonce breastfeeding? It sounds like she is! Here's hoping she confirms soon, as it will be the culmination of every black lactivist's wet dreams.  

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Eric Benet: Lactivist

Eric Benet recently tweeted this beautiful image of his wife breastfeeding their newborn daughter, Lucia. The caption is "Lucia says 'peace!' for the first time!"

© Eric Benet

What a sweet baby. Mine tend to give me the finger.


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Momzelle Nursing Top Review & Giveaway

Back when I was pregnant, Blacktating sponsor and all-around wonderful company Momzelle sent me a cute nursing top to review on the blog. This was my first ever piece of nursing clothing, if you can believe it. With Miles I was totally clueless and bought a couple decent nursing bras and just nursed from the top of my shirt whenever I needed to. By the time I realized there was even such a thing as nursing tops and dresses, I was a pro at nursing in public and didn't think I needed any special clothing.

Now of course, this is still true. You really DON'T need to buy special clothing in order to breastfeed in public. But damn if it doesn't make it so much easier! Since getting a few nursing tanks and tops, I don't know how I ever did without them. They just make everything so much easier and convenient and lots of brands like Momzelle make stuff that's so cute you can wear it while pregnant and after your nursing days are long over (yes, I rocked my Momzelle top while pregnant. It was so comfy and stretchy and *still* looks good, 7 months later).

Momzelle sent me their v-neck t-shirt in Dahlia, a beautiful plum.

I'm short so this length was perfect for me, but if you're a tall girl they do come in Xtra long. See how flattering this top is in the tummy area? (And bless you, Momzelle, for using a model who actually looks like she gave birth and is indeed breastfeeding). I am a US size  14 and got a size Large which was perfect for me (and like I said, I wore it throughout my pregnancy as well and only at the very end did the nursing openings begin to show because of my big belly and I had to put it back in the drawer). When I am nursing in my Momzelle top I feel completely covered and find access to the breast is easy with the generous nursing openings.

Momzelle also makes tanks, long-sleeve tops, dresses, nightgowns and bands that can be used to cover up your tummy under any regular shirt to make nursing a breeze. Besides their great products, you can feel good about buying from Momzelle because they really do care about breastfeeding mothers. Christine, the mom behind the brand, regularly donates to support breastfeeding causes, including giving nursing tops to low income teen moms.

Want to treat yourself to something from the Momzelle store? Momzelle is offering one Blacktating reader a $25 gift card to the store. This giveaway is open to all and everyone can take $5 off any Momzelle order with coupon code BLACKTATING.


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2011 Celebrity Breastfeeding Round Up

2011 was a celebrity baby bonanza! I could barely keep up with all of the bump watches, eventual confirmations and new bundles of joy! 2011 was also a banner year for black celebrity breastfeeding, with some of my favorites being very vocal about their nursing experiences.

First up was Laila Ali who gave birth to daughter Sydney in April. She gave a fantastic interview to Best for Babes on having a natural birth, and losing weight in a healthy manner while breastfeeding.

Shortly after, the Queen Diva Mariah Carey gave birth to twins Monroe and Moroccan. Of course there had to be extra drama surrounding Mimi's nursing experience. Apparently someone at the hospital called Child Protective Services after Mariah was spotted having a Guiness to help with milk production on the advice of a nurse. We found out later during a 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters that Mariah nursed the twins for three months.

In May,  Ananda Lewis welcomed a baby boy at home and tweeted about using cloth diapers and breastfeeding. Look out for the video of her homebirth, which she's currently editing.

Tia Mowry welcomed son Cree in June and gushed about breastfeeding all over the place! Although Tia was hoping for a natural birth, she ended up with a c-section because Cree was breech. Thankfully breastfeeding worked out and Tia has even combined nursing with working by pumping. Remember when she forced twin sister Tamera to taste her milk? Hilarious!

Finally, actress Essence Atkins gave birth to her first son on Christmas Day. She recently sat down with Essence magazine and told them her son Varro is a breastfeeding champ. "He knew what to do from the moment they put him on me!" she joked.

So what black celebrities can we look forward to seeing breastfeed in 2012? Perhaps now that she's married and an aunt, Tamera Mowry will follow in her twin sister's footsteps and get pregnant this year. Newlywed singers Monica Brown and Keyshia Cole are also likely suspects. And as prolific as Swizzy has been, it's probably time for Alicia Keys to pop out another one.

Of course the world is waiting with baited breath for the birth of the heir to throne. Rumor has it that Beysus may have already given birth to The Golden Child and that we may catch a glipse of the babe on Monday. Of course if Beyonce decides to breastfeed and is vocal about how great it is, I think it will be a HUGE boon for black breastfeeding. I guess we shall see soon.......

The Best of Blacktating 2011

Here are my favorite posts from this year, in no particular order. Looking forward to another year of exploring the issues surrounding breastfeeding with you.

New Breastfeeding Photos from the Indiana Black Breastfeeding Association: these stunning photos are in the public domain so YOU are free to use them too (just email me and I'm happy to send you the entire collection).

The Social Network: on how other parents influence our parenting and hov this impacts breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding Superstars: a  fantastic short film on moms who've overcome serious challenges in order to breastfeed.

Michelle Obama and the "Choice" to Breastfeed: in which I argue that breastfeeding is not a choice.

CDC 2011 Breastfeeding Report Card: important, although the statistics are a constant source of frustration.

The Natural Trend: Is Breastfeeding Next?: on the influence of the natural hair movement on breastfeeding in the black community.

The Sweet Release: on my daughter's tongue tie and getting that sucker clipped!

Nursing in Public Bingo: because the ignorant comments never get old (or change for that matter).

Baby-Friendly Hospitals will Improve Black Breastfeeding Rates: why implementing the ten steps is especially important for black omen and babies.



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Breastfeeding in a Healthcare Setting

In the moments after my daughter was born, when I was blissed out on finally being able to hold my newborn skin-to-skin, my mother-in-law pointed out that she had "something" on her ear. Because Aminah was lying on my chest I couldn't see anything but my midwife looked over and said, "Oh yeah, she has a little skin tag on  her ear. Usually they say something on the ear can signify an issue with the kidneys because they develop at the same time in utero. It's probably nothing but your pediatrician may want to run some tests." Yeah, not exactly what you want to hear literally three minutes after giving birth. My midwife was right, though. At our first visit my pediatrician noticed the tag right away and wrote me a script for a renal ultrasound. She said she didn't think anything was wrong with her kidneys but she preferred to err on the side of caution.

Unfortunately the ultrasound showed there was slight hydronephrosis, or swelling in the kidney, on the right side. My pediatrician gave me a referral to see a pediatric nephrologist, a doctor who specializes in kidneys. He recommended repeating the test at the hospital he is affiliated with since it had been four weeks since the first ultrasound, so I made yet another appointment to take my baby to the hospital.

The tech who performed the ultrasound was AMAZING. The first thing she did when we got in the room was apologize for the wait because they try to expedite the pediatric patients. I asked her if I should strip Aminah down to her diaper, as I'd done at the first ultrasound at the other hospital and she said no. Aminah was sleeping peacefully and it was cold in there so I just removed her pants. The tech even used warm gel so as not to jar the baby. Even with being very gentle, Aminah did wake up because the tech had to press on her belly to take pictures of her bladder. Aminah started to fuss and the tech turned to me and said, "Go ahead and breastfeed her, it'll help keep her nice and calm during the exam."

RECORD SCRATCH. Now, I've been a mom for four years and have taken my kids to the doctor a million times for various procedures and never has a healthcare provider suggested I nurse to keep my baby calm during an exam or shot or anything. Sure, I nurse openly in my peditrician's waiting room or in the exam room while we talk, but during exams or procedures? Never. In fact, a nurse at my pediatrician's office yelled at me for breastfeeding Miles before his first vaccine because he would cry after the shot and then throw up, didn't I know that? So I'm embarrassed to say I've never done it, even when I've thought about it and wanted to.

I didn't just love that this woman encouraged me to nurse, but that she also didn't ask if I was breastfeeding, she just assumed that I was. As many black women will tell you, people typically assume we're not breastfeeding or don't want to breastfeed. So to be recognized as a breastfeeding mom was HUGE.

Afterwards the tech told me Aminah was a great patient because sometimes even at the breast some babies just hate the wand and are super fussy. I thanked her for being so great and made a mental note to write her supervisor and let her know how awesome she was.

The good news is Aminah is just fine and whatever was going on with her kidney resolved on its own. Her second ultrasound showed two perfect kidneys.

But I'm curious to hear from you......what have your experiences been breastfeeding your babies in a healthcare setting?

The culprit behind all this drama!

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My 5-week-old

Aminah is five weeks old today! According to BabyCenter......


Your baby's neck muscles are getting stronger, which allows her to hold her head up for short periods.


Yup, Aminah is taking after big brother Miles here and has been holding her head up since day one. My kids have tiny peanut heads which probably makes this easier for them. Still, she holds her head up like a champ and has super strong muscles (she has also been scooting since birth....put her down on the bed and she will scoot away!)


Smiling happens at about the same time in all cultures, so get ready for your baby to reward all your loving care with a beaming, toothless, just-for-you smile. This will probably make your heart melt, even if you've just had your worst night yet.

She is making us work hard for them, but yes, she smiles. The surefire way to get her to grin is to hold up a mirror to her face! #diva #wereintrouble


Your baby may start sleeping longer at night (maybe four to six hours) some time between 6 weeks and 6 months of age. Most sleep experts suggest putting your baby to bed while she's still awake, but drowsy. This will help her learn to fall asleep on her own.

Hahahahhaha! Hahahahahaha! A six hour stretch at night? Not on your life! Go to sleep on her own? Riiiiiiiight! This girl wants nothing but to be held by mommy. She wakes up at night if I even think about taking my boob out of her mouth. I don't foresee this changing any time soon.

Your baby is learning that she has hands and fingers and feet and toes. She's also starting to talk more. Not with words, of course, but by cooing — with increasing goos, gurgles, and grunts. This marks the beginning of her language development. 


 Aminah discovered her hands a few weeks ago and she will wave them around and stare at them for a few minutes every now and then. So far her feet don't interest her (although she does love to kick them while nursing). She is talking to us more now and especially loves when we sing to her. She also lets us know when she's not happy. This girl can SCREAM.

But who could resist this face?

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