Written By Malachi Mena
The Buncombe County Breastfeeding Coalition has an exciting event coming up this weekend at Rabbit Rabbit. Latch AVL will take place on Saturday at 9AM with lots of unique opportunities and activities!
On AFM News Hour, I got the chance to speak to Sapphire DeBellot and Marcelle Crago about the Buncombe County Breastfeeding Coalition. Marcelle explained that the coalition is focused on helping pregnant and postpartum families find community resources around breastfeeding and chestfeeding. Sapphire added that it’s a way for different organizations to come together and help make Asheville a better breastfeeding community.
Marcelle went on to share that while some may think breast/chestfeeding is natural or comes easy, it is a learned skill. The Buncombe County Breastfeeding Coalition is trying to raise awareness and help connect parents and guardians with lactation consultants and the like, to provide skills education and assistance..
Curious about their use of the word chestfeeding, I asked Sapphire and Marcelle to explain how it differed from breastfeeding. The two clarified that chestfeeding was inclusive terminology, as some folks are transgender, non-binary, or identify as male and have the ability to feed. Sapphire and Marcelle said they use the term to create a more welcoming environment to all. Marcelle also stated that there are families that struggle with the social pressure of breastfeeding, as it has become very sexualized. She said that some may not want to feed the baby at their chest, and they bottle feed instead.
The two were very excited to discuss their upcoming event, Latch AVL, on August 3rd at Rabbit Rabbit. It will take place from 9AM to 1PM. People can expect lots of activities, including a raffle and a community latch-on. Chiropractors and therapists will also be on site, along with lots of nonprofits and other organizations, including Mount Zion Community Development. As Mount Zion’s Outreach Coordinator, Sapphire spoke about the organization’s initiative to promote breastfeeding education through their NAF program, which has been around since 1998. NAF stands for Nurturing Asheville & Area Families and it strives to support African American pregnant and postpartum women in Buncombe, Madison, and Henderson Counties. She explained that they are able to provide support through events like Latch AVL.
After a year of planning this event, Sapphire and Marcelle hope that families throughout town will show up and support the cause. They’re excited to see the turnout!
For more on the event visit https://buncombepfc.org/latchavl/ and check out the latest episode of AFM News Hour.
You can listen to the full interview here: