In my other life (the one I had before becoming a mother to twins 2 years
ago bringing the total to 5), I worked at WIC as breastfeeding counselor,
educator, and Breastfeeding Program Coordinator.  I learned alot about the
moms who come to WIC and I learned to hold my judgements until I lived
their life, which I thankfully do not have to do.  Most of these moms are
also in situations where they will return to work or school (often high
school) in just a matter of weeks. We are not talking jobs where they can
pump or even have remotely breastfeeding friendly employers.

Most would breastfeed if they could and many try.  Often they are sabatoged
in the hospital either because people assume they are not going to
breastfeed or because baby is born with difficulties and spends much time
in NICU and mom with no way of getting there to deliver milk or even hold
her baby for days on end.  I have personally driven many moms to see their
baby when they were in tears because they could not get a ride.  A bus?
Have you tried to ride a bus after a C-section?  Can't be fun. Others just
don't stand a chance with all the influence and pressure from family
members who want to control the situation. Still others have problems which
are not easily solved and mom just is overwhelmed with the situation.
(Don't we all see moms from a much higher income bracket not be able to
cope with sore nipples, low supply, etc.) Is formula an evil?  Yes, but it
is better than the alternative which is not breastmilk--it is no milk.

When I started there, I was appalled at the way formula was pushed on moms
who did not even want it.  The attitude was, well, they came here for these
classes, and they should take something home.  I know this is wrong, but
the mom's do feel they are there to get something tangible and the food
they give moms who totally breastfeed just doesn't compare money wise to
formula.  Perhaps an improvement in the mom's package?  I spent five years
banging my head against a brick wall.  Balancing my anger at the staff who
felt guilty if mom did not get her free formula and the moms who were angry
if they left without something after all that time there. In the end, I had
to accept that I could not change an institution that was bogged down in
the politics of formula rebates and spending enough money on formula to be
sure they kept the budget for next year.  I realized the program is mostly
about free formula for babies, milk and cheese and cereal for moms and
older children.  The fact that they even encourage breastfeeding at all is
a blessing because, the truth is they are not trying to save money--they
are trying to spend it on formula because the formula cost less after
rebates than they let on. Try to remember WIC is funded by USDA. I was
lucky for a short while to have people in "power" that supported
breastfeeding and spent money on what was needed to support it--not on me
of course, lol, but pumps for babes in NICU, etc.  I do not hear good
things about the program since I left, but for awhile our rates were great
and babies were getting breastmilk who would have never had the chance
before.  WIC varies from state to state and even county to county.  Some
are doing great things to support breastfeeding and should be proud of the
gift they give the women they serve.  It will be a long time before all
women in general have insurance that pays for lactation services.  The fact
that WIC offers this at all is step in the right direction for them.

I do not think it would be realistic to take away free formula from the WIC
program, because in all honesty this is still a bottle feeding culture and
these moms are really not equipped to swim upstream -- yet. That's not
degrading, it just is.  If we want to change what happens at WIC we have to
begin with what happens in the world these women live in and work in.  We
are a long way from a baby friendly breastfeeding supporting workplace for
the majority of women, let alone women in the lowest paying situations.  It
is not the baby's fault mom can't cope with the reality of it all. Baby
needs to be fed -- even if it is artificial.

Some day our dreams will come true--all women will want to breastfeed and
all women will be able to breastfeed and all babies will be able to
breastfeed and then we will all be obsolete because breastfeeding will once
again belong to the mother and her child.

Pam Mazzella, IBCLC, resting

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