LACTATION JUSTICE
ALABAMA & THE DEEP SOUTH
"Breastfeeding is not simply a personal choice. It is a public health issue, a racial equity issue, and a policy issue"
- OMC
WHAT IS LACTATION JUSTICE?
Lactation justice ensures that all families — especially Black families in Alabama and across the Deep South — have equitable access to culturally responsive, medically supported breastfeeding care. It recognizes that infant feeding is shaped by policy, economics, history, and healthcare systems — not just personal choice.
Breastfeeding is not a trend.
It is not a lifestyle preference.
It is not a sentimental image.
It is public health infrastructure.
In Alabama — where maternal mortality remains disproportionately high and Medicaid covers the majority of births — lactation access is not optional. It is essential.
When lactation care is dismissed in maternal and infant health care, families bear the cost through preventable health disparities, increased chronic disease risk, and economic strain.
The Obsidian Milk Collective names this gap — and works to close it.
When lawmakers say breastfeeding is not a priority, they are dismissing a functioning organ system and a measurable public health intervention.
WHY LACTATION IS HEALTHCARE
Human milk is biologically active, immunologically protective, and hormonally responsive.
Breastfeeding is associated with:
Reduced infant infection rates
Lower maternal risk of Type 2 diabetes
Cardiovascular protection
Lower PMAD risk
Healthcare cost savings
This is preventative medicine delivered through human biology.
Not lifestyle.
Not trend.
Medicine.
THE ALABAMA REALITY
Alabama has disproportionately high maternal mortality rates.
Medicaid covers the majority of births in the state.
Lack of pump coverage limits feeding autonomy for low-income families.
WHAT LACTATION JUSTICE REQUIRES
In Alabama and across the Deep South, lactation justice means:
Medicaid coverage for breast pumps without unnecessary restriction
Reimbursement parity for IBCLCs and lactation professionals
State investment in workforce development for Black lactation providers
Hospital lactation staffing standards
Paid postpartum lactation support access
Integration of lactation care into maternal health policy reform
Birth justice without lactation justice is incomplete.
OUR COMMITMENT
The Obsidian Milk Collective commits to:
Providing culturally responsive lactation care in Alabama
Advancing education grounded in science and history
Expanding access to lactation support through community funding
Advocating for structural policy change in the Deep South
Increasing representation within the lactation workforce
We will not separate feeding from justice. We will not separate lactation justice from birth justice. We will not separate lactation care from maternal and infant health care.
TAKE ACTION
If you believe lactation should be treated as essential healthcare:
Contact your Alabama representative
Support Medicaid pump coverage reform
Share evidence-based lactation data
Join our advocacy updates
Support the Lactation Fund
Because silence sustains gaps.
Education shifts narratives.
Policy changes outcomes.