In a message dated 1/30/02 6:21:02 PM Pacific Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:


> I'm wondering what you see in practice as a factor in
> this problem and what interventions you use to increase breastfeeding
> duration?
>
Cindy,
I was the coordinator of a breastfeeding peer counselor program for several
years before the health dept decided not to support the program any longer.
Webuilt our client caseload up to over 800 prenatal and breastfeeding women
in the WIC program as well as a few private mothers in the community who
enjoyed the support. I had 3 peer counselors who were all bfing mothers
themselves. We had a great program with everything from prenatal classes to
incentives to a mothers group. The peer counselors made phone contact at
least every 2 weeks with the women.  We did a chart review of 150 charts and
found a direct relationship between duration and number of contacts with the
peer counselors, as well as the contact being ongoing. In other words, women
who had support, encouragement and education throughtout their breastfeeding
experience, breastfed longer. The incentives werre nice but the biggest
incentive the mothers enjoyed was the friendship of the peer counselors. The
program ended in 1997 and the peer counselors and myself still remain friends
with many of the mothers in the program.
The hardest thing to get WIC to recognize is that programs need to be focused
toward personnel that are dedicated, knowledgable and interested in
breastfeeding and in working in a breastfeeding program. Not just to name a
nutritionist as breastfeeding counselor on top of her other duties.

Barb Whitehead, BS, IBCLC
eastern NC

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