Breastfeeding

Links | WIC Breastfeeding and Peer Counseling Program Website

The Virginia WIC Program promotes breastfeeding:

The Virginia Department of Health, Division of WIC & Community Nutrition Services is committed to increasing the breastfeeding rates throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia by promoting breastfeeding and support breastfeeding mothers, their families, and the community:

• As the preferred infant feeding method
• By creating a positive health care setting environment
• By providing information on the health benefits of breastfeeding
• By supporting breastfeeding women through the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program.
• By providing the Breast Pump Loan Program to breastfeeding WIC participants.
  

Goals of Virginia WIC Breastfeeding Promotion

• To improve infant and family health by making breastfeeding the cultural norm.
• To improve the rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration in Virginia's WIC program to meet the National Healthy People 2010 Breastfeeding Objective (16-19):
  
  
  • 75% of women breastfeeding at hospital discharge
    
  • 50% breastfeeding their infants at 6 months and
    
  • 25% breastfeeding their infants at 1 year of age.

Breastfeeding Friendly:

All WIC Offices are monitored to be "Breastfeeding Friendly."

• Positive breastfeeding messages must be included in educational activities materials, and outreach efforts.
• Formula advertisements and cans must not be visible to participants.
• WIC offices must provide a comfortable, discreet area for participants to breastfeed.

WIC Breastfeeding Benefits

• Breastfeeding women receive WIC benefits up to one year
• Breastfeeding women receive more variety and quantity of food than do non-breastfeeding women.
• Breastfeeding women who exclusively breastfeed (babies receive no formula on WIC) receive a food package which includes tuna fish and carrots.

Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program

In 2004, Virginia WIC implemented the Loving Support Through Peer Counseling, Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program. This program aims to enhance the continuity and consistency of WIC's breastfeeding promotion efforts by offering mother-to-mother breastfeeding support.

The Virginia WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program will work to increase the incidence and duration of breastfeeding exclusively within the WIC population. Combining peer counseling with the on-going breastfeeding promotion efforts in WIC agencies throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia has had a dramatic impact on breastfeeding rates among WIC participants, and, most significantly, is assisting to increase the harder to achieve breastfeeding duration rates.

Breastfeeding Peer Counselors are women who have a personal breastfeeding experience and who are or have been WIC participants themselves. They have been carefully selected and trained in basic breastfeeding techniques and counseling skills and have a desire to help other WIC mothers achieve their personal breastfeeding goals. Breastfeeding Peer Counselors provide breastfeeding information, encouragement and support both prenatal and throughout the mother's breastfeeding experience; therefore working to fill in the gap in services between the private physician and the WIC agency. To read more about the program please visit the program website at http://www.vahealth.org/wic/bfpc/

Pump Loan Program

Electric breast pumps are loaned and attachment kits given to breastfeeding WIC participants if they need to be away from their infants for long periods of time to establish, maintain, and/or collect breast milk. Manual breast pumps are given to breastfeeding WIC participants who request them for their personal use. Other breastfeeding equipment is available to participants if needed.

Please contact your local WIC office for pump availability.

For more information, contact: Lisa Hamlett (804) 864-7800.