I used to be the Sr. Nutritionist at two local WIC programs. We were always trying to get into the hospitals to do certifications, thinking it would help the moms as well as the program. Now I'm a hospital based LC and I see things much differently. At our hospital we have LCs working every day and we see every BF person daily. WIC is allowed to come on the floors and do certifications. I'm friendly with some of the nutritionists and one of them actually worked for me when I was at WIC. Our local WIC program has LCs on staff and are very pro BF, including providing Lactinas for moms that need them.
There are many problems that I see with WIC on the floor. First of all, the moms now have easy access to formula as they sign a proxy form in the hospital allowing other family members to pick up their WIC checks. Now they can get 3 months of formula and food for themselves without any follow up appointment until the baby is three months old. By then most of them have stopped breastfeeding. Before WIC came on the floor we could guarantee the moms would have a WIC appointment fairly soon after delivery, which would include a BF check, but now we can't. Also, many of these moms are still NPO or on clear liquids when WIC comes because of C-sections , so the 24 hour dietary recall is a joke and so is the mom's postpartum weight, which is just an estimate by WIC. Moms are so tired they absorb very little after delivery and the staff, including myself, have a hard enough time getting them to focus on hospital information when they are exhausted. They are already being visited by hospital nurses, docs, social workers, the birth certificate people, nutrition dept, etc. WIC just puts another strain on us all, including the moms. Another problem is that WIC staff is not able to help with latch, touch the moms breasts, or help in any hands on kind of way because of legalities, so there is little help for actual BF. Most of the nutritionists I know from WIC agree that this recertification, at least nutritionally, is a sham and doesn't really benefit the mom and baby nutritionally because it can't provide an accurate assessment. It does manage to keep the WIC numbers up, which helps with the funding of the programs.
I know this sounds anti WIC, but I was at WIC for 10 years and know the value of the program and the dedication of the staff as well as their dedication to BF, so I'm not trying to blast WIC in any way. I am only opposed to WIC on the hospital floors, at least as they're done at my hospital where there is a lot of LC help. I understand things may be different in rural areas, but I still think new moms need that BF contact at WIC soon after birth, even if they have to travel to get it.
Marilyn Farland, IBCLC
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Marilyn Farland, IBCLC
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