You are the owner of Mommy’s Sweet Treats™. Please introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Charlee King. I’m the sole proprietor of Mommy’s Sweet Treats based out of Houston, Texas. My company provides gourmet lactation cookies to breastfeeding mothers to enhance their milk production.
This is Black Breastfeeding Week where you raise awareness and educate the community, do women know this platform exist?
A lot of women are not aware of black breastfeeding week, and that is why getting the word out is so important. This year is the 7th annual Black Breastfeeding Week. It was created over 40 years because of racial disparities in breastfeeding rates. Recent CDC data shows that 75% of white women breastfeed versus 58.9% of black women.
What is the biggest misconception when it comes to black women and breastfeeding?
The biggest misconception is women of color don’t breastfeed because they’re lazy. Black women are the lowest among other races to breastfeed, but I believe there are factors such as economics, education, and family history that causes this.
When did you decide to become a Health Advocate for mothers?
When I realized there’s a high infant mortality rate in black babies who are dying at twice or triple the rate of white babies. Also, I noticed the lack of diversity in the lactation field. While studying to get my Lactation certification, there were 80 students, 70 were white, 8 were black, and two were Asian. I noticed during the lecture that many of the lactation professionals were not culturally competent, sensitive, or relevant enough to properly deal with African American moms.
Tell us about your recent partnership with Texas Southern University and BakerRipley to design a “Mother Room” at their campuses.
Both companies have numerous staff and families that come in and out of their facilities. Many are moms or moms to be. I noticed a need to create a place for them to care for their babies without an audience. Both Texas Southern University and BakerRipley were thrilled with the idea. I completed Mother Room at BakerRipley in 2018 and the Texas Southern University location in 2019.
Your book “Thanks for Telling Me” is a compassionate but comical guide for mothers of all stages. What led you to write about this topic?
Being a first-time mom can be a happy and scary time. You have an idea of what you think is going to happen only to be completely thrown left field when reality kicks in. I experienced this myself and wanted to help bring awareness to a lot of the things new moms go through. Most situations are serious, so to lessen the blow, I wanted to inform them comically.
How do you plan to expand the needs of mothers around the nation as you continue to advocate, volunteer, and facilitate Mommy Meet-Ups, breastfeeding classes, and Mommy Rooms?
I plan on expanding the needs of mothers by volunteering, writing more books with information and tips for moms and moms to be, facilitating Mommy Meet-Ups, teaching breastfeeding classes, and creating more Mommy Rooms for companies and organizations worldwide.
How do you refuel after helping so many other women?
I like to meditate, cut the ringer off and reflect on things I’m grateful for, and I’ve learned that mental health is one of the most important things I need to take care of for myself.
Favorite pastime?
I love food!! In my previous life, I think I was a restaurant critic lol.
Where can our readers follow your information?
IG: @thecharleeking @mommyssweettreats
FB: Charlee King Mommy’s Sweet Cookies
www.mommyssweettreats.com www.thanksfortellingmebook.com
