Karleen wrote:

<But Jean I've got a study here somewhere that found that women who
participated in WIC were less likely to breastfeed than women who were
eligible for WIC but did not participate.....that indicates a big problem
doesn't it?>

For those in other countries and in the U.S. who may not have a clear idea,
I tried to explain that WIC is a progarm of the federal Department of
Agriculture, with primary responsibility for administration and funding,
managed through the level of each state's health department, with further
administration of individual projects at the local level. Geographic and
climate conditions (mountains, deserts, etc.), demographic conditions
(Indian reservations vs. rural, suburban, or inner city, and educational
levels), travel conditions, degree of additional local funding, the local
labor pool, the quality of personal leadership are but a few of the
individual conditions that make for differences in the local projects.

My own experience comes from a rural/urban county WIC project
administered as part of our county health district. Our breastfeeding team
itself is made up of 3 FT IBCLC's, plus PT volunteers like myself and
sometimes other PT volunteer IBCLC's, plus 5 PT trained peer counselors.
This small team works closely within the greater WIC team that serves nearly
half a dozen locations throughout the county. It is composed of multiple
supportive RD's, several of whom are also IBCLC's, several LPN's responsible
for blood work, weights, heights, etc. and a very supportive administrative
and clerical staff. Now, and over the years, there are a number of staff
members who have pumped on duty for their children. Other staff members
refer clients freely to the breastfeeding staff, and vice versa, and
all seem to work congenially. Several years ago, the Ohio Lactation
Consultant Association voted our WIC project the 'most breastfeeding
friendly WIC project', and other projects in the state have been so honored
since. The State WIC breastfeeding coordinator works tirelessly to overcome
bureaucratic hurdles. This includes the system for supplying pumps for
clients.

I'm sure there are some WIC projects somewhere that have "big
problems" which someone is aware of and trying to fix. I don't know
the study you mention, so can't say when it was done, or whether it was done
on a local, state or national population. I do remember an article on 'WIC
in JHL a number of years ago that certainly did not match my experience.

I have now been volunteering part time for WIC for nearly a decade (and am
a retiree from the prenatal team of that same county health department.) I
have been around the fringes of WIC for long enough to recognize tremendous
breastfeeding progess at the national, state and local levels in the 3
decades since it was established. Anyone who has ever worked for any length
of time with a large organization knows there is always room for continuing
improvement. I don't want anyone to sell the WIC program, its staff or its
efforts short.

Jean
*********
K. Jean Cotterman RNC, IBCLC
Dayton, OH USA

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