After childbirth, new mothers often see a lactation specialist while in the hospital. But when new mothers from marginalized communities in Washington, DC, give birth at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, they are often visited by a culturally responsive lactation specialist from Mamatoto Village, a maternal and family health organization dedicated to providing career pathways for Black women and justice-centered perinatal care to transform health and social outcomes for Black mothers, babies, and their families.

At Mary’s Center and 10 other DC community perinatal health providers, expectant and new parents at risk for mental or emotional distress can receive perinatal mental health services on-site or be referred to experts at Children’s National Hospital through the DC Mother-Baby Wellness Program. The initiative also created a virtual training for perinatal and parent-child service providers throughout the city and met regularly to share insights and developments about perinatal health issues.

These partnerships between large medical centers and community-based providers, and many more like them, resulted from the Clark Foundation’s Parent-Child Health Initiative (PCHI). The Foundation aims for all DC families to have the support they need in their child’s first three years of life to ensure a healthy, thriving future. It’s an ambitious goal, but PCHI partners’ innovations are building the foundation for a comprehensive, integrated, culturally responsive support system for families in Washington, DC.

“When we walk into the room, and we say, ‘Hey, I’m here to support you, and I know your journey. I know exactly where you are, and I know the right questions to help you to feel comfortable enough to open up,’” said Cassietta Pringle, Mamatoto Village co-founder, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, and Lactation Program Manager, describing the lactation specialists who work on-site at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “It’s honestly wonderful to see the smiles and the families’ faces change. And then they know there’s no judgment about where they live either.” Mamatoto offers home visits to new parents, and the lactation consultants are often familiar with their neighborhood and community, putting the parents even more at ease.

“Mamatoto not only brings additional hands into the lactation support space but are trained to do that with a community lens. When you’re able to bring better care to your patients, that always brings us joy,” said Dr. Angela Thomas, Vice President of Healthcare Delivery Research at MedStar. Through 2022, the lactation collaboration has served more than 240 patients.

“Many of Mamatoto’s Lactation Specialists are former clients,” said Aza Nedhari, Mamatoto Village Co-founder and Executive Director, who also spoke of an “erosion” of breastfeeding among Black women due to their need to return to jobs that are not supportive or accommodating to lactating parents. “If we’re talking about improving breastfeeding rates, especially amongst Black women, we have to do so by people who look like them, right?” Nedhari said. “The work we are doing now is hopefully setting the trajectory for family well-being across the life course of infant and child health.”

At Mary’s Center and 10 other DC community perinatal health providers, expectant and new parents at risk for mental or emotional distress can receive perinatal mental health services on-site or be referred to experts at Children’s National Hospital through the DC Mother-Baby Wellness Program. The initiative also created a virtual training for perinatal and parent-child service providers throughout the city and met regularly to share insights and developments about perinatal health issues.

These partnerships between large medical centers and community-based providers, and many more like them, resulted from the Clark Foundation’s Parent-Child Health Initiative (PCHI). The Foundation aims for all DC families to have the support they need in their child’s first three years of life to ensure a healthy, thriving future. It’s an ambitious goal, but PCHI partners’ innovations are building the foundation for a comprehensive, integrated, culturally responsive support system for families in Washington, DC.

“When we walk into the room, and we say, ‘Hey, I’m here to support you, and I know your journey. I know exactly where you are, and I know the right questions to help you to feel comfortable enough to open up,’” said Cassietta Pringle, Mamatoto Village co-founder, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, and Lactation Program Manager, describing the lactation specialists who work on-site at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “It’s honestly wonderful to see the smiles and the families’ faces change. And then they know there’s no judgment about where they live either.” Mamatoto offers home visits to new parents, and the lactation consultants are often familiar with their neighborhood and community, putting the parents even more at ease.

“Mamatoto not only brings additional hands into the lactation support space but are trained to do that with a community lens. When you’re able to bring better care to your patients, that always brings us joy,” said Dr. Angela Thomas, Vice President of Healthcare Delivery Research at MedStar. Through 2022, the lactation collaboration has served more than 240 patients.

“Many of Mamatoto’s Lactation Specialists are former clients,” said Aza Nedhari, Mamatoto Village Co-founder and Executive Director, who also spoke of an “erosion” of breastfeeding among Black women due to their need to return to jobs that are not supportive or accommodating to lactating parents. “If we’re talking about improving breastfeeding rates, especially amongst Black women, we have to do so by people who look like them, right?” Nedhari said. “The work we are doing now is hopefully setting the trajectory for family well-being across the life course of infant and child health.”

After childbirth, new mothers often see a lactation specialist while in the hospital. But when new mothers from marginalized communities in Washington, DC, give birth at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, they are often visited by a culturally responsive lactation specialist from Mamatoto Village, a maternal and family health organization dedicated to providing career pathways for Black women and justice-centered perinatal care to transform health and social outcomes for Black mothers, babies, and their families.