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2011 was a celebrity baby bonanza! I could barely keep up with all of the bump watches, eventual confirmations and new bundles of joy! 2011 was also a banner year for black celebrity breastfeeding, with some of my favorites being very vocal about their nursing experiences.
Shortly after, the Queen Diva Mariah Carey gave birth to twins Monroe and Moroccan. Of course there had to be extra drama surrounding Mimi's nursing experience. Apparently someone at the hospital called Child Protective Services after Mariah was spotted having a Guiness to help with milk production on the advice of a nurse. We found out later during a 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters that Mariah nursed the twins for three months.
In May, Ananda Lewis welcomed a baby boy at home and tweeted about using cloth diapers and breastfeeding. Look out for the video of her homebirth, which she's currently editing.
Tia Mowry welcomed son Cree in June and gushed about breastfeeding all over the place! Although Tia was hoping for a natural birth, she ended up with a c-section because Cree was breech. Thankfully breastfeeding worked out and Tia has even combined nursing with working by pumping. Remember when she forced twin sister Tamera to taste her milk? Hilarious!
Finally, actress Essence Atkins gave birth to her first son on Christmas Day. She recently sat down with Essence magazine and told them her son Varro is a breastfeeding champ. "He knew what to do from the moment they put him on me!" she joked.
So what black celebrities can we look forward to seeing breastfeed in 2012? Perhaps now that she's married and an aunt, Tamera Mowry will follow in her twin sister's footsteps and get pregnant this year. Newlywed singers Monica Brown and Keyshia Cole are also likely suspects. And as prolific as Swizzy has been, it's probably time for Alicia Keys to pop out another one.
Of course the world is waiting with baited breath for the birth of the heir to throne. Rumor has it that Beysus may have already given birth to The Golden Child and that we may catch a glipse of the babe on Monday. Of course if Beyonce decides to breastfeed and is vocal about how great it is, I think it will be a HUGE boon for black breastfeeding. I guess we shall see soon.......
