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Subject:
From:
"Pat Gorman, CLE" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 18 Jan 1996 00:32:00 PST
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I have to get up on my soapbox.The WIC program is almost is  over 21 years
old  and if I know my history bf  rates in the population that  WIC serves
have actually  increased.  Yes, it is true that WIC is the largest buyer of
formula in the U.S. and that is nothing to be proud of.  I do believe that
to credit WIC for being a major factor in the low bf rates of that
population is a bit of an overstatement. I would like to see well documented
nation figures that prove that accusation.  I could be wrong.
      I invite critics of the WIC program to volunteer sometime in thier
local clinic.  When you deal with the daily realities it is an eye opener.
When I first came to WIC to work I thought that bf promotiion would be easy.
It is a struggle. Women are influnced by other factors than WIC when making
the decision to use formula. The dominant  culture ,the media, the medical
careproviders,thier families ,mainstream attitudes about babies and children
and the list goes on and on . The anti bf culture started about 100 years
ago with scientific childrearing .
       Yes , it would save money if we stopped providing formula,but we
would return to the good old days.
That wouldn't be bf. It would be homemade formulas of canned milk and god
knows what else. Women would not choose bf and be successful under the
current mainstream culture.  I shudder when I think of the horrid things
babies might be feed to keep thier stomachs full. Read your history for
possible examples. What would the health of an infant be if he/she were feed
koolaid because it filled the stomach and that was all the family could
afford.  I am not advocating formula, I want people to understand that
there are a lot of changes that need to happen before bf becomes a cultural
norm. In the meantime lets try  to work together and not create scapegoats.
We need to take every opportunity to plant the seeds of change . I admire
LLL because it has facilitated change through mother to mother  networks and
support groups and the result  are impressive.
     In summary, I do not believe that bf numbers would have an significant
increase in the population that WIC serves by no longer providing formula
because the mainstream culture still supports bottlefeeding as a norm. Until
there are significant  cultural changes  the babies would become the victims
resulting in more long term health risks than are under currrent practices.
If we want to save tax  dollars  there are plenty of other ways. I would
like to propose that the first significant move is to create a national
policy on the rights of children and enforce it.
 Well ,I guess I will step down. I work in the trenches everyday  and there
are no simple answers. I just needed to vent.
Pat Gorrman  CLE
BF Educator for Marion Co. WIC
Salem, Oregon
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If I was queen of the world every baby would be bf.

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