May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! This week, New Beginnings would like to highlight some resources, stories, and recipes that celebrate and showcase breastfeeding and human milk feeding in AANHPI communities.
The Asian & Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Task Force is a fantastic resource for nursing families and advocates alike. You can read more about the task force here, in a past New Beginnings post from To-wen Tseng. To-Wen shares her experience writing a book, growing a baby, and helping to found the Asian Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles (which later became Asian & Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Task Force).
A 2022 New Beginnings interview with Wendy Fung outlines some of the potential barriers to breastfeeding in AANHPI communities, and we see why it is important to continue having culturally sensitive trainings and conversations.
“There are many challenges. Just to name one – the lack of culturally appropriate practices in clinical care. As a Chinese American immigrant, I was shocked to see cold water/juice/salads served at the bedside table during meal time. After labor and delivery, many Chinese women would prefer to have hot foods and drinks, such as hot/warm water/soup. Another challenge is the lack of language appropriate education. Many handouts in breastfeeding education have limited AANHPI languages available. AANHPI communities are people with ancestry from the continents of Asia and the Pacific Islands from over 50 ethnicities who speak over 100 different languages and dialects.”
For some Asian families, there can be large variations in the ways birth and lactation are viewed. The contrast around serving hot or cold foods is one example, as mentioned above, and there are additional differences in the treatment of the birthing person. The AANHPI communities have special ways of caring for mothers and families after a new baby is born, and they can be very distinct from how things are done in the US.
“One of my first cultural shocks when I first came to the U.S. from Vietnam was visiting the hospital and seeing a newly birthing parent walking herself across the floor still attached to the IV fluid. Her baby could have just been a few hours old. All of my life before that, I only saw parents of newly born babies bound to the bed either in the hospital room or their bedroom, never to leave their home for weeks. During the immediate postpartum period, restricted movements and exposure to the outdoors, warmth, and restoring postpartum foods were necessities if not requirements. What a contrast here in the Western world. It wasn’t a good or a bad thing; it was just different. And even though it was a shock initially, it was also, strangely, a relief. I thought of our old Eastern traditions which then seemed like a constraint, a misfit to a modern society. For many years to come, this idea allowed me to expand and adapt to the Western culture.” You can read more of that story here.
More stories about how Asian culture may impact breastfeeding and postpartum experiences are:
- A commentary on the documentary East Meets West highlights some experiences of families in India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and more. You can learn about traditions, including infant massage, holistic treatment of the family, the importance of breastmilk, Chinese postpartum confinement, and so much more.
- Modesty is a central value in many East Asian cultures, which can make breastfeeding in public feel challenging. You can read Uyen’s story here about how she made things work, balancing her child’s need to nurse and wanting to remain covered.
- “How precious it was from the first time he asked in Vietnamese ‘bu’ until the time he understood that he had to wait.” You can read more about how weaning happened for Uyen here.
- Traditional foods are of significant importance for many AANHPI communities, and many US families like to add these cuisines to their family diets as well. Below you can enjoy some favorite recipes that have been featured on the blog in the past:
- This post contains recipe information for Pork Knuckles and Eggs in Ginger and Sweet Vinegar Sauce, Double Boiled Chicken Soup, and Red Egg and Ginger.
- Try out this go-to family favorite, fried rice. The author shares, “Though she was born in Tennessee, my mother grew up in Southeast Asia, so I grew up learning how to cook Pad Thai and vegetable curry along with traditionally American fare. This recipe for fried rice is a blend of cuisines and cultures, especially considering the list of optional garnishes at the end.”
- A La Leche League International cookbook, Whole Foods from the Whole World is a popular resource to include cuisines from different countries into every family’s diet. This post shares a popular tofu recipe from the book.
On May 2, 2025, a webinar was put together by the AANHPI Lactation Collaborative and BreastfeedLA to highlight the experiences of the AANHPI communities, offering practical strategies to support mental well-being while addressing returning to work, managing family dynamics, and ensuring infant feeding during emergencies. You can still register for this free webinar here Healing and Nurturing Together: AANHPI Parenthood, Lactation & Mental Well-being. The recording will be available 2-3 weeks after May 2, 2025 for watching and receiving continuing education units.
New Beginnings would like to offer a special note of thanks to Uyen Tran, who has regularly contributed her personal breastfeeding stories to the blog (and she wrote many of the articles linked in this post!), as well as resources and information about human milk feeding in AANHPI communities. We appreciate your brilliant writing and continued contributions to the blog, Uyen!
Please send your story ideas to Kylie at [email protected].
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
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Last Updated: May 11, 2025 by Yael Breimer
Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
The Asian & Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Task Force is a fantastic resource for nursing families and advocates alike. You can read more about the task force here, in a past New Beginnings post from To-wen Tseng. To-Wen shares her experience writing a book, growing a baby, and helping to found the Asian Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles (which later became Asian & Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Task Force).
A 2022 New Beginnings interview with Wendy Fung outlines some of the potential barriers to breastfeeding in AANHPI communities, and we see why it is important to continue having culturally sensitive trainings and conversations.
“There are many challenges. Just to name one – the lack of culturally appropriate practices in clinical care. As a Chinese American immigrant, I was shocked to see cold water/juice/salads served at the bedside table during meal time. After labor and delivery, many Chinese women would prefer to have hot foods and drinks, such as hot/warm water/soup. Another challenge is the lack of language appropriate education. Many handouts in breastfeeding education have limited AANHPI languages available. AANHPI communities are people with ancestry from the continents of Asia and the Pacific Islands from over 50 ethnicities who speak over 100 different languages and dialects.”
“One of my first cultural shocks when I first came to the U.S. from Vietnam was visiting the hospital and seeing a newly birthing parent walking herself across the floor still attached to the IV fluid. Her baby could have just been a few hours old. All of my life before that, I only saw parents of newly born babies bound to the bed either in the hospital room or their bedroom, never to leave their home for weeks. During the immediate postpartum period, restricted movements and exposure to the outdoors, warmth, and restoring postpartum foods were necessities if not requirements. What a contrast here in the Western world. It wasn’t a good or a bad thing; it was just different. And even though it was a shock initially, it was also, strangely, a relief. I thought of our old Eastern traditions which then seemed like a constraint, a misfit to a modern society. For many years to come, this idea allowed me to expand and adapt to the Western culture.” You can read more of that story here.
More stories about how Asian culture may impact breastfeeding and postpartum experiences are:
On May 2, 2025, a webinar was put together by the AANHPI Lactation Collaborative and BreastfeedLA to highlight the experiences of the AANHPI communities, offering practical strategies to support mental well-being while addressing returning to work, managing family dynamics, and ensuring infant feeding during emergencies. You can still register for this free webinar here Healing and Nurturing Together: AANHPI Parenthood, Lactation & Mental Well-being. The recording will be available 2-3 weeks after May 2, 2025 for watching and receiving continuing education units.
New Beginnings would like to offer a special note of thanks to Uyen Tran, who has regularly contributed her personal breastfeeding stories to the blog (and she wrote many of the articles linked in this post!), as well as resources and information about human milk feeding in AANHPI communities. We appreciate your brilliant writing and continued contributions to the blog, Uyen!
Please send your story ideas to Kylie at [email protected].
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
Follow us on:
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Category: Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week
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