WIC program offers breastfeeding support to new parents

The American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend exclusively breastfeeding infants for the first six months of life. The benefits of breastfeeding are undisputed: Breastmilk provides balanced nutrition for infants and can help protect against illness.

But for many in the trenches of new parenthood, that idea can seem daunting and, for some parents, unattainable.

Elyse Johnson has seen this firsthand. Johnson is a peer counselor with Mary Bridge Children’s Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program. She says there can be a lot of mystery and fear surrounding a mother’s breastfeeding journey, and that’s where she and her colleagues step in to provide support.

The peer counselor program is a division of the Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program (WIC), which provides nutritious foods, health education and health care referrals to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children.

Expectant and lactating parents enrolled in WIC are eligible to participate in the peer counselor program, where they’re connected with other WIC mothers who have been trained to provide one-on-one support.

Lanaya Taylor has been part of the program since her 6-month-old was born. Though Taylor has two older children, it’s her first time receiving support through a peer counselor program.

“I remember one day feeling discouraged and my peer counselor called right on time,” Taylor says. “The support and encouragement for new moms — and the whole family — is so needed and important.”

Nationwide, only one in four infants is exclusively breastfed their first six months of life, according to the CDC. What’s more, infants eligible for and receiving WIC are less likely to ever be breastfed than their counterparts.

Many parents report a lack of support as the primary reason for ending breastfeeding. But low rates of breastfeeding add more than $3 billion a year to medical costs for mother and child in the United States, according to the CDC.

Peer counselor Michelle Carey hopes to change those numbers by providing new parents with consistent support and education, whether that results in breastfeeding or another feeding method that works best for the family.

“So much of parenting is on-the-job-training,” she says. “To have someone in your corner that can ask how you’re doing, that can be available outside of standard business hours and that you can be open with, it’s really important.”

Peer counselors have regular check-ins with their clients, often starting when a mother is expecting. The support extends through postpartum, and counselors can make referrals to dietitians and board-certified lactation consultants as needed.

That mental and emotional support plays an important role in a child’s overall health. Infants who are breastfed have reduced risks of asthma, obesity, Type 1 diabetes, severe lower respiratory disease, ear infections, SIDS and gastrointestinal infections.

Breastfeeding can also help lower a mother’s risk of high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer and breast cancer.

Johnson encourages expectant parents who have even a small interest in breastfeeding to reach out to the WIC program. She’s supported parents with breastfeeding, pumping and even the transition to ending lactation.

“My goal is that they can make an informed decision, and then I support them in how they would like to feed their baby,” says Johnson.

“The peer counselor program helped me to give myself grace and mercy,” Taylor says. “It’s encouraged me and helped me to be patient with myself.”

Carey says that many parents are surprised to see the income eligibility guidelines are broader than expected. And it’s not only for moms and babies: dads, grandparents or other caregivers of children under the age of 5 may also sign kids up for WIC. Find out if WIC can help your family.

“Every day of breastfeeding is monumental,” says Carey. “However far a mother gets on her journey, it’s still a big deal.”