Hi all,

Pat asked me to take the clothespin off my nose long enough to re-explain the
new (April through Sept., 1995) bf rates a la Ross Labs which she posted a
few days ago. The current inhospital bf rate of 70.4% which I questioned is
correct -- however, it is for NON WIC mothers only.  The 1994 bf rate for
non-WIC moms is 68.8%, so there is an increase of 1.8% among non-WIC mothers.
 For WIC moms, the 1994 rates were 44.3%, up from 41.6% in 1993.  (I don't
have stats on WIC moms for April - Sept 1995).  Total bf rates (which is what
we have been tracking & quoting all along) were 57.4% in 1994, up from 55.9%
in 1993.  I suspect total bf rates for 1995, including WIC & non-WIC moms
will be somewhere around 59+% as that has been the trend every year since bf
rates started rising again after their drop 1984-1991.  Interestingly enough,
the rates for WIC moms (remember, I am talking about in hospital bf
initiation rates including exclusive bf & bf with supplementation), has risen
considerably faster than the rates for non-WIC moms.  To wit:

WIC:  '90 - 33.7%; '91 - 36.9%; '92 - 38.8%; '93 - 41.6%; '94 - 44.3%

Compare this to Non-WIC moms:  '90 - 62.9%; '91 - 65.2%; '92 - 66.4%; '93 -
67.9%; '94 - 68.6%.

So lets hear a rousing cheer for all the marvelous work our bf advocates have
done at the federal level & in the WIC programs to encourage and support
these moms in their bf efforts.  It really helps when we see the numbers up
front & center.  And a special thanks to Nancy Schweers and Minda Lazarov for
all the work they have done  -- Nancy with the BF Promotion Consortium and
APHA (WIC), and Minda with the US Committee for UNICEF BFHI project.

And lets all give ourselves a pat on the back because our efforts are not
going unnoticed.  The bf rates ARE going up -- and everyone of us that works
with bf moms & babies, whether it be in the WIC program, in hospitals,
clinics, private practice, physicians; in administration or in the government
that  is a bf advocate can share in the accolades for this increase.  Not
that we can sit on our laurels -- we still have a way to go before we even
hit the 1982 rate of 62% initiation rate, let alone the Year 2000 goals of
75%, but we are making slow progress.....

Congratulations to one and all!

Deb, about the grated carrot on the sore nipples.  I do know I have read it
somewhere (someone out there help me).  The geranium leaves came from ALCA
News a few years back; grated carrot might have been mentioned there too, but
I do know I read it somewhere else too.  The grated potato mixed with flour
to make a dough for mastitis/plugged ducts came from one of our Japanese LC
students.  I've tried the potato (it worked well!), tried the geranium leaves
on one mom that loved stuff like that -- she thought it was great.  Then
wanted to put them on Timothy's scraped knees one day, and he told me in no
uncertain terms, No WAY was he going to go back outside with geranium leaves
on his knees.  The fact that I had wrapped his sprained ankle with cabbage
was humiliating enough.  (This was about 3 years ago).

Jan B. (Where it snowed AGAIN last night in Wheaton, and who is quite glad
she is not living in either Buffalo, NY or Sault St. Marie, MI right now)