Hi All,
Just talked to a WIC mom of mine who is very upset.  It seems that as soon as
her baby is 6 mo old (in about 3 mo) she has to either go to work full time
or go to school.  She is on welfare.  I asked some of my other WIC moms if
this was the same situation that they were in.  It was.  Talk about messing
up a BF relationship!  Some of my WIC moms have worked for months to get
their babies to breast, just to have to turn around and leave them with a
sitter and a bottle or risk getting thrown off of AFDC.
What a sad state of affairs for these women.  Is this the same all over the
US. or just here in California?  IMHO, I think it is cruel to expect these
women to go back to work like this.  I wish that this country valued a
woman's importance enough to allow her the option of staying at home for at
least the first year of her babys life.  I know, I know, dream on.  It is the
lucky woman, anymore, who is able to stay home and raise her children.  .
 What with the expence of childcare for an infant and a school age kid.  How
does the Govt. expect women on AFDC to afford their rent, utilities, food and
child care?
  Theses moms want to BF their babies, but find it very hard to do so.  Not
all WIC programs have pumps to loan for moms who go back to work, and not all
moms who go back to work have a place to pump.  They certainly can't afford
to rent a pump, and the pumps that are out on the shelves at stores aren't
all that great, for the most part.  I've had more than one mom tell me how
her store bought pump broke when she needed it most, got engorged by the time
she got home, and didn't have the $$ to buy another one (it was a luxury in
the first place).  She endes up with a milk supply that's dropping and has to
put the baby on ABM while she's gone, and with the stress in her life, ends
up losing her milk supply, then feels guilty, and it goes on and on...
Maybe someday women, babies and BF will be considered a priority.
Jay
Sick of politics...Wishing that people would get a clue