Wednesday marked the last day of Black Breastfeeding Week. One Bronx mom is sharing her journey and the hurdles she faced to inform other mothers on what they can do. 

Janira Crispin has three children. She says she did not have lactation support with her two oldest children – something that hasn’t been the case with her youngest, 5-month-old Josiah.  

“With my first son, one of the biggest issues was being able to get him to latch on,” said Crispin. 

Crispin worked closely with registered nurse and lactation specialist America Trevino at Montefiore Hospital in Wakefield with her youngest child. She says that the help gave her strength.  

"Being able to feed my baby the way that I wanted to feed my baby gave me the empowerment that I needed to be able to continue with my breastfeeding journey and beyond that,” said Crispin.  

With the Bronx having the lowest breastfeeding rates in the city, Crispin is sharing her story to let more moms know there is personalized help out there.  

“I will end up being their cheerleader, and some helpful hints of how to position the baby,” said Trevino. "We want them to know first of all the immune benefits that breastfeeding does for the baby. The reason why we are encouraging them to breastfeed, the immune benefits for the baby, it also decreases the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer."