Here's another story focused on giving babies the healthiest possible start.

Breast milk is often called nature's perfect nutrition.

Yet in the United States, breastfeeding rates have been declining.

Fewer mothers are able to breastfeed for six months or more.

In women of color, who face higher maternal health risks, those numbers are even lower.

Doctors and nutrition experts agree, these gaps can have lasting impact on infant health.

That's why a group of local women is determined to change the statistics and create better outcomes for mothers and babies.

"Carolina Impact's" Bea Thompson and videographer, Russ Hunsinger, show us how their work makes a difference.

- Is that a flower?

It's everyday learning.

He's teaching us a lot.

Is it tasty?

- It's the best decision that I think we could have made for our family.

- [Bea] Meet Rachel and Timothy Dean, new parents, and their entry card to the parents club, three month old Jackson Dean.

They're among the growing number of new parents, and in particular, parents of color, who are on the front lines of an old form of nourishment for babies, breastfeeding.

- There you go.

- There was no doubt in my mind that what we were gonna be doing with breastfeeding him was gonna be the best thing for him.

- [Bea] Rachel is a lactation consultant and dietician, and works with moms of color.

She sees firsthand, women who want to provide the best for their newborns, but are unsure about breastfeeding.

- Historically, we are breastfeeding more, if you look at it even finer, like of populations of color, we are breastfeeding more, but still not as much as our white counterparts.

You wanna try to roll over?

You got it.

- And we wanna increase the rate of women breastfeeding, black women breastfeeding, as well as increase the duration and the time period of breastfeeding for African American families and families of color.

- [Bea] LuGenia Grider is a certified doula.

The word doula comes from the ancient Greek, meaning a woman who serves, and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous, physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during, and just after birth.

- We work very closely with other dieticians, lactation consultants, childbirth educators, the healthcare systems here in our area, as well as with doulas, to help everyone close the gap, so that disparities can decrease in our community, and we can see the health benefits and the legacy of that.

- [Bea] More than a decade ago, Dean and Grider started Queen City Cocoa B.E.A.N.S, short for breastfeeding, education, advocacy, normalcy and support.

The Charlotte based nonprofit provides a support system for families of color, and it has come at a time when national statistics on black maternal health and that of their babies are dismal.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, breastfeeding disparities do exist.

Fewer black infants are ever breastfed compared to Asian, white or Hispanic infants.

Infants receiving WIC, the Federal Nutrition Program, are less likely to ever breastfeed, and young mothers between the ages of 20 to 29 are less likely to ever breastfeed than mothers over the age of 30.

The US dietary guidelines for Americans, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization all recommend that infants be exclusively breastfed for about the first six months of life, with continued breastfeeding while introducing appropriate complimentary foods for one year or longer.

Although most infants receive some breast milk, most are not exclusively breastfeeding, or continuing to breastfeed for as long as recommended.

Queen City Cocoa B.E.A.N.S.

points out two important points.

Families can save more than $2,000 a year by not buying formula, and they say, breast milk is designed for the baby, and it's gentler on the infant system compared to another animal's milk.

- We know those statistics are there, and we know that those statistics, if they are increased, can change the health statistics across the board for women of color, for family and children of color.

Decrease in diabetes, breast cancer, and a numerous amount of other things like asthma, that attack the African American community.

(gentle instrumental music) - I knew I wanted to try to breastfeed.

My mother breastfed me six months, and I knew about the health benefits of being able to breastfeed my child.

- [Bea] This savvy attorney learned of Queen City Cocoa B.E.A.N.S.

while in the hospital.

It led her to become a board member, and to encourage other women and their partners to consider the health of their child first.

- [Karen] They were able to be a huge source of support for not just myself, but my husband, who would be there on the front lines with me.

- So we have our breastfeeding support group for the birthing person or the mom.

And then we also have Daddy B.E.A.N.S.

for the father that is a part of that breastfeeding family.

(Jackson cooing) - Yeah.

- [Bea] And for a new dad like Timothy Dean, information and a dad support system can make the difference for one who has questions.

- There's no fear at all, but there's no shame in having questions either.

I had some questions for my wife about how the process works and what it took to really feed him and give him the nutrients, the daily nutrients that he needs.

And it's okay to ask questions as a man, and there's plenty of resources out there - [Bea] Through their organization, Queen City Cocoa B.E.A.N.S' services range from workshops to lactation consultations, weight management, infant weight monitoring, and virtual support groups.

- Over time, it is a slow increase, but there's always been this gap, this disparity there, where we may not be breastfeeding as long as other groups, but there's still, at least what I see in the community, you know, people interested, people wanting to know how.

- [Bea] For the businesswoman who breastfed both her daughters, making the Cocoa B.E.A.N.S.

connection made a difference for her family, and she says it can make a difference for many moms of color looking for support.

- Being able to look to other people who have maybe hit a wall at different points along that process, but could tell me how they overcame it, I think that really helped in keeping on the road and continuing to pursue the goal set.

- [Bea] Their next goal?

Increase the number of women of color who are lactation consultants.

They're collaborating with Johnson C. Smith University and Novant Health to develop a pathway, making it the first historically black college and university to have this type of program.

In turn, JCSU is working with North Carolina A&T University to develop a program there.

As for the next generation of healthy babies, among them will be Jackson Dean, who seems to be quite comfortable with his parents' decision on the best pathway for his nutrition and health.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Bea Thompson.