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Subject:
From:
Ginger Chun <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 8 Mar 2012 08:57:52 -0600
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Why couldn't WIC require moms to give breastfeeding a shot? Though I know
many moms don't come to WIC until they are already not breastfeeding. But I
lean towards believing that formula should be a prescription item due to
the public health costs of using it.


Ginger Chun, LLLL, IBCLC
*Postpartum Doula, Breastfeeding Educator, Infant Massage Instructor*
www.thenurturedcenter.com
*Accredited Breastfeeding Counselor*, La Leche League USA

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in
harmony* -- Mahatma Gandhi*



On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 8:56 AM, Lisa Paul <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> The question was posed about what would happen if WIC didn't provide
> formula at all...I know from a rural clinic standpoint that it would create
> a very contentious situation.  Take a postpartum hormonal mother, and then
> tell her she cannot get any formula for her baby...I would hate to be the
> one to say no.   While I hate to imply that this could cause someone to go
> violent, I can imagine some very distraught moms & dads reacting in ways we
> just would not want in clinic.
>
> On the other hand, I am a firm believer in limiting formula for the first
> month.  As a WIC peer counselor, I see first hand moms who are experiencing
> trouble breastfeeding, but boy does that formula get tempting.  Often they
> see the full formula package as a security blanket, when truthfully it robs
> them of their security in breastfeeding.  I see the way we implement things
> now as a "punish the breastfeeding, praise the formula feeder" system .
>
> I personally think a better strategy would be to limit *all* moms to no
> more than 1 can of formula in the first month.  In addition, all WIC staff
> should be able/willing to work with new moms on strategies to help them
> breastfeed in that first month, which would include unlimited weight
> checks, in clinic consults, and follow up by a peer counselor.
>
> I did some calculations based on our WIC participation in my region. Not
> exact numbers but a good rough estimate Assuming that WIC pays $13/can of
> formula, a 13% BF rate and about 2500 prenatal participants in a year, if
> we stopped giving 4 cans of formula to newborns and instead gave all only
> one can, the program would save $85K/year. If one took this savings and
> converted it to part time peer counselors, working 20 hours a week at
> $12/hr,  approximately 6 additional peer counselors could be hired in our
> region which covers 15 counties.
>
> Assuming that the peer counselors were effective in their job, that would
> boost the $$ even more, as the BF rate would increase, and the total number
> of cans of formula issued for the year would decrease.
>
> From a $$ standpoint there is a bunch of logic in this type of approach.
>  The main critique would be if this puts low income newborns at risk of
> being malnourished due to lack of formula...
>
> I would love to hear the pros and cons of my fantasy WIC world.
>
> Lisa Paul, ICCE
>
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