I'm the Breastfeeding Coordinator at a local WIC program.  WIC is mandated to
promote breastfeeding, and funds are provided for this. Every agency/state
has to allocate a certain percentage to breastfeeding. The 1996 fiscal year
budget was cut in many agencies, but breastfeeding promotion and support is
still part of the budget, in other words, budgets were cut across the board,
NOT only in the breastfeeding line!
In NYS, WIC agencies can use budgeted funds for breastpumps, even to the
point of obraining electric breast pumps to LEND to mothers-the agency pays
the pump co. directly. In our agency, mothers are given the A-E hand pump,
with lots of instruction, if they are going back to school or work.  We had
money in last year's budget to print up tote bags and t-shirts with our
program name; the design is a mother holding her infant to her breast against
a map of the world behind her, with Puerto Rico figuring somewhat larger than
life, I'm told! The tote says "Welcome to the World of Breastfeeding". The T
shirts are "XL" so moms can breastfeed under them!! Moms who receive the
"enhanced food package" (all the postpartum foods plus carrots and tuna)
receive the t shirt and bag as a gift.
 We purchased an instant camera to take pictures of breastfeeding moms and
babies, not necessarily "in the act". Some pictures are displayed in a
collage type frame with the caption: Put yourself in the picture! Join the
WIC breastfeeding family!
Today I had an uplifting moment; we share the floor in our clinic with OB/GYN
and Vision (why? Idon't know why!). The receptionist paged me to the front
desk; BTW,. our side of the reception area has a 12 foot long bulletin board
with posters I got from the pump companies prettied up with captions that I
applied to the ready made posters that send carefully thought out messages.
One of the captions says: Good for mothers, good for babies, and I put three
advantages on opposite sides (three for mom, three for baby.) One of the adv.
for baby-higher intelligence. Well, a girl (East Village type, for those who
know what I mean!) was really impressed with the intelligence caption and
wanted to know more about it. She wasn't pregnant, she was a pt in Vision.
But it really caught her eye  <G> and she wanted to know more about it. She
thought it was COOL. What I really enjoyed was that the STAFF caught someone
showing an interest in the breastfeeding message.
I'm lucky in that I don't have to promote formula feeding at all in my
capacity as breastfeeding coordinator; however I have gained respect for SOME
of the nutritionists, esp. the new young one who just got her RD and is
REALLY and TRULY interested in promoting good nutrition among this mostly
poor, mostly semi literate clientele. If mothers have chosen to bottlefeed,
they need to know that formula is a better choice than feeding a kid cereal
in a bottle at one month of age, and other mistaken feeding practices.
One bummer today-a representative from the ---- company came in promoting a
new "step down" formula for babies who had been born prematurely!!!!  They
want to cover all bases.She also left some order forms for some nifty formula
club mothers can join; I didn't see any disclaimers about breast being best,
although I might have overlooked it.  I made sure to ditch the nifty pen
necklace she left us and the computer mouse pad too. WIC is not supposed to
have anything out that promotes the formula companies.  We really are trying!

The Anita Baker video is the greatest, and I never get tired of showing it
bec. of the way the moms love it to pieces!!!!

We have a video that explores barriers to breastfeeding, but I think the real
barriers are not on there: formula company advertising being one of them (I
tell mothers in my prenatal class that up until a few years ago, formula
companies did not advertise directly to consumers). If you want to know more
about what I tell mothers, please e-mail me privately. Other barriers  not
shown in the video: body image, sexuality including sexual abuse, mothers who
are using illicit drugs, fear of transmitting HIV since they don't know their
own status and lots of other nitty gritty real life barriers that some people
are afraid to touch. I'm the kind of person that wants everything out in the
open, but it's not easy to get mothers to open up.  They love to hear about
smoking cessation and WIC is also mandated to help them with that. Lots of
mothers have cut down on the amt they smoke and they are eager to learn how
that connects with breastfeeding. It's one of my favorite topics.
I would love to hear from anyone who canhelp me promote breastfeeding
downhere! If you've been able to break down the REAL barriers, please let me
know how you did it. And that's a day at WIC!
Pearl Shifer, M.Ed, IBCLC
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