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How WIC Helps Breastfeeding Mothers

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children – or WIC, as it’s commonly known – is unique in that it doesn’t just provide healthy food option for segments of nutritionally at-risk populations, it also adds the element of real-life support to women who may not have the emotional and practical support network so critical after having a baby.

Benefits and Challenges of Breastfeeding

You hear it everywhere you go, on television, at your prenatal appointments, in magazines – breastfeeding is best for babies. It’s the perfect food, and provides your infant with some amazing benefits, including:

  • Reduced incidence of colds and other illnesses
  • Fewer ear infections
  • Less diarrhea
  • Higher IQ
  • Reduced risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)


Nursing your baby also benefits your health, by reducing your chances of breast cancer later in life and helping you burn extra calories and shed those annoying post-baby pounds!

There’s no question that breastmilk is the absolute ideal food for your baby’s first 6-12 months. Plus, there’s no measuring, mixing, warming, or packing up feeding supplies in the diaper bag required. Sounds easy, right? Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple…

Barriers to Breastfeeding

The days following your baby’s birth will be a time of great joy, but they can also be exhausting and stressful, particularly if you’re also caring for other young children. Breastfed babies tend to eat more often, which can add to a new mother’s exhaustion level, and if you don’t have physical and emotional support to focus on nurturing your baby, making breastfeeding work can seem like an impossible task. Add to that potential sore nipples (typically due to positioning or latch problems), getting enough rest and nutrition to keep up a good supply, and possibly chasing after toddlers, and you’ve got a recipe for one frustrated mother.

How WIC Supports Breastfeeding Relationship

When more mothers are successful in their breastfeeding efforts, children are healthier, saving families money on doctor’s visits and prescriptions, as well as income lost on taking time off of work to care for sick kids. WIC is committed to the mission of helping new mothers to experience these benefits. The program has multiple measures in place to offer the social and emotional support necessary to get breastfeeding off to a good start.

The Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work campaign is a multi-dimensional approach to helping families provide their babies with the best nutrition possible. Depending upon your individual needs, elements of this support system may include:

  • Moms Helping Moms – this “circle of care” is just what it sounds like – other mothers, just like you, whose goal is to give new moms the emotional and practical support they need in order to establish a solid breastfeeding relationship. Peer counselors receive training that teaches them valuable tools and techniques to maximize your chances of success.
  • Resources for dads – WIC offers tips and suggestions for fathers to help them learn how to support mom during this challenging time. The Fathers Supporting Breastfeeding program offers specific support and resources for increasing breastfeeding success among African American women by encouraging the involvement of their partners.
  • Lactation consultants – many WIC offices have a certified lactation consultant on staff to offer professional help for issues that may require a little more attention than a peer counselor can provide. This is a valuable resource, particularly for low-income women who may not be able to afford the services of a private consultant, breast pumps, and other helpful resources.

Reaching out can make a real difference in your breastfeeding efforts. Find your local WIC agency here and find out how you can benefit from this valuable support system.