Justice
The ‘Cafes’ Where Women Go to Breastfeed
Come for the free lactation consultation. Stay for the fellow moms.
BROOKLYN—Evelyn Velasquez sat in the basement multipurpose room of the Brownsville Neighborhood Health Action Center with her 11-month-old son, Jonathan, at her breast. A mother of four, she’s a regular attendee of the Baby Cafe in the Brownsville Neighborhood of Brooklyn, the third to open in New York since January 2018, where she receives free lactation services and a support group made of facilitators and other moms in her community.
For Velasquez, the cafe meets a critical need for new moms. “You need that extra support behind you, that guidance, and to release some stress,” Velasquez said. “It’s a place where you can come, let your hair down, and talk to the other mothers about breastfeeding and other things.”