new WIC guidelines for food packages

[marymom]

http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/lawsandr...odpkganprm.txt

all you breastfeeding and healthy food advocates, put your pen where you r mouth is and help WIC -
WIC has requested comments to decide new guidelines for their foodpaskages,
Im thinking...no formula without a perscription, food benefits for BFing moms up to at least 2 yrs of sge(currentlky it stops at 1)
and other ideas you have
comments made with scientific accuracy will be read more carefully says my local WIC supervisor,
address is on this URL, mary

[Super Pickle]

Thank you, marymom! I'll write before the sun goes down today!

[CerridwenLorelei]

ok I scrolled through but didn't see

where the addy was to write to
and I will snail mail it ( I was told by a Texas Senators office that online mail/messages mean nothing to them)
as a former WIC participant I think I safely say this this and this

[hotmamacita]

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to

Patricia Daniels
Director, Supplemental Food Programs Division, Food and Nutrition Service,
USDA, 3
101 Park Center Drive, Room 520, Alexandria, Virginia 22302.

Comments on this Notice should be clearly labeled ``Revisions to the WIC Food Packages.'' Comments which are not within the scope of this Notice should not be included. All written comments will be available for public inspection during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday) at the above address.


I got this form the link in the first post of this thread. Read through it for the 'scope' they are referring to.

[hotmamacita]

Oh, and I think letters need to be postmarked by 15 December, 2003.

Could someone PM me a copy of their letter to give me ideas of how to include science and stats? (I am nursing two, diapering three, and caring for four...I have serous mommy brain but want to write a letter too.)

Thanks.

[seedgirl]

cool! but why a prescription for formula?

[normajean]

Originally posted by seedgirl
cool! but why a prescription for formula?

I agree. I understand that breastfeeding is best, ideal, and I completely believe everyone should give it a try.

I do NOT believe that every woman can breastfeed. I know I couldn't. I had all the classes, books, supportive family, lactation consultants, herbal supplements, biofeedback equipment, home nurses, LLL, supportive doctors, etc ad nauseum, but I still couldn't do it. My breasts just forgot the "every woman can breastfeed" part and didn't make milk. I was eating enough calories, drinking enough water and milk myself.... Of course I believed the "you can't tell how much milk is there with a pump" and all those other things too, and trusted all the lactation "experts" instead of my motherly instincts until I went to DS's 3 week check up and he still hand't regained his birthweight. I wanted to kill myself for believing the "they aren't hungry for a while anyway" that everyone had been feeding me. This is after 3 weeks of me spending literally 45 minutes of every hour of every day for 3 weeks nursing, and the off 15 minutes pumping to stimulate production. He had a great latch, he was hungry, I was doing everything I could, but my body was not cooperating.

I am very grateful that the one place I didn't have to battle over it with was WIC, when my beautiful 9 lb, 9 oz baby needed food that I couldn't give him, no matter how badly I wanted to. You can imagine the kind of crap, glaring looks, and statmentst of disapproval from my wonderful "supportive" family, friends, and medical professionals when I started giving my son formula.

In dealing with all this and the subsequent post partum depression, the LAST thing I would have needed was to go to my pro-BF doctor and beg for a script to feed my baby. WIC was a lifesaver for me that year. I had planned to nurse my whole life and with my DH working graveyards and in grad school during the day, there was no way we could have afforded to budget the $150/month for formula.

A better way is to give more education and support, work to making it more mainstream, but why alienate women the way us pro-BF-ers have been alienated in the past? And what about single dads? They can still get WIC.

[normajean]

Hey---more on topic this time--

How about making the WIC foods less junky--sugar free peanut butter, fruit instead of juice, etc.

[seedgirl]

Originally posted by normajean
Hey---more on topic this time--

How about making the WIC foods less junky--sugar free peanut butter, fruit instead of juice, etc.

Yesss! It cant be that hard to include more wholesome food. Anyone here have any inside experience with WIC administration?

I agree with you Normajean that not all women can breasitfeed. I had preemie twins and it just didnt work. The suggestion that women should be issued a precription for formula, seems like more like policing than educating .

[hotmamacita]

NormaJean,

I don't think anyone wants to allienate women who do not BF for whatever reason but there is a lot of misinformation and quick-fixes. I am not sure how I feel about prescriptions for formula, I am not sure that is even appopriate as formula is not a drug and to make a WIC mama get a script when a non-wic mama doesn't have to would be discrimination in my book.

But the idea is well taken. WIC hands out formula all too easily. And there is so much corn syryp is formula. Moms need to know about the nutritional disadvantages to formuls. Furthermore, Moms who BF get okay nutritional help but really much more vegetables and good protein is needed. HOw about green leafies and beans, rice and tofu, or soy products. Dairy is so, imho, bad for the system and when I first got on WIC, I said,"gee looks like the Dairy Industry has a sweet deal with our Government."

I think flexibility and education is key. I would like the choice to be able to get foods that I already feed my family that are, imo, much healthier than juice, dairy and peanut butter. My kids never had juice, dairy or cereal until WIC. WE eat fresh veggies, tofu, fresh fruit, water with lemon, herbal teas, rice, beans, tortillas and lots of middle eastern/indian dishes (not the americanized versions). I feel as if just because my husbands job reduced his hours b/c of federal cuts and we are now in a tough place financially until he finds another job, we are forced to eat foods that we don;t even like or believe are healthy. We believe that dairy produces excess mucus int he gut and prevents the absorption of minerals and vitamins that natural foods have. So, to us, it doesn't matter how much calcium dairy has or how fortified it is, if your body can't absorb it properly. Furthermore, I'd lke to have the option to get cashew or sesame butter. They are both much better for you.

I think MOMs need to be trusted first and foremost. But our government should at least be honest and responsible with what it is recommending and giving to families in need.

Peace,

[isleta]

T I agree with them passing formula out to easily. When I was on WIC I told them I was BF and they gave me formula "just in case" Now, I was a new single mama and had not yet read all the wonderful boards like this one, so I just took it and you know? It got used. However, my ds had allergic reactions to the formula and I was told to exclusively BF. So, they stopped giving it to me. Well, I literally had to say NO!!! ( and a DR note helped).

I will write them also. I feel that they do provide some good foods and you do have a choice sometimes on sugar-free and not. I think it has to do with what grocery store you shop at.

Also, we do not eat dairy that much also and they do not give you rice or soy milk. Just lots of cheese and milk. Ds does like beans though!!!

[Dakota's Mom]

I've noticed that my clients can not get soy milk after they stop using formula. (Mandatory at one year) They give lactaid milk. But you only get about half as much as you do whole milk. And you're right, they will not pay for rice milk or organic milk.

Kathi

[CerridwenLorelei]

so do we have to back up everything we write

with scientific data??/

One thing I know I want to recommend is to allow natural peanut butter. I mean what good is it to have the hydrogenated stuff if they/we know that the hydrogenated oils are bad for you??

[Victorian]

T

normaJean - I just wanted to say that I also have supply issues and supplement 10 oz a day at 5 months. I know how hard it is to feel that you cannot provide what your baby needs to thrive. If you ever want to talk about it, please PM me.

But I don't nessarily think it is a bad idea to make it harder to get formula.We knew (or found out) things to try to help our bodies produce milk, a lot of women don't. When the baby is crying, it is easy to blame lack of milk and switch. I did this with my first and morned it for 4 years. All it would do to make it harder to get formula is ensure that those women got the help that they needed. It seems that any of those LC, doctors or home nurses could have helped you get formula when it became obvious that your body needed help providing enough.

BTW - I would like to see formula off the shelf for everyone not just WIC people - not imposssible to get for non-BF, just get the pricription at the hospital. Imagine if the money that WIC spends on formula was spent providing help to women to bf.

Originally posted by normajean
I agree. I understand that breastfeeding is best, ideal, and I completely believe everyone should give it a try.

I do NOT believe that every woman can breastfeed. I know I couldn't. I had all the classes, books, supportive family, lactation consultants, herbal supplements, biofeedback equipment, home nurses, LLL, supportive doctors, etc ad nauseum, but I still couldn't do it. My breasts just forgot the "every woman can breastfeed" part and didn't make milk. I was eating enough calories, drinking enough water and milk myself.... Of course I believed the "you can't tell how much milk is there with a pump" and all those other things too, and trusted all the lactation "experts" instead of my motherly instincts until I went to DS's 3 week check up and he still hand't regained his birthweight. I wanted to kill myself for believing the "they aren't hungry for a while anyway" that everyone had been feeding me. This is after 3 weeks of me spending literally 45 minutes of every hour of every day for 3 weeks nursing, and the off 15 minutes pumping to stimulate production. He had a great latch, he was hungry, I was doing everything I could, but my body was not cooperating.

I am very grateful that the one place I didn't have to battle over it with was WIC, when my beautiful 9 lb, 9 oz baby needed food that I couldn't give him, no matter how badly I wanted to. You can imagine the kind of crap, glaring looks, and statmentst of disapproval from my wonderful "supportive" family, friends, and medical professionals when I started giving my son formula.

In dealing with all this and the subsequent post partum depression, the LAST thing I would have needed was to go to my pro-BF doctor and beg for a script to feed my baby. WIC was a lifesaver for me that year. I had planned to nurse my whole life and with my DH working graveyards and in grad school during the day, there was no way we could have afforded to budget the $150/month for formula.

A better way is to give more education and support, work to making it more mainstream, but why alienate women the way us pro-BF-ers have been alienated in the past? And what about single dads? They can still get WIC.

[Kerrie]

My first post here!

I had to add about my experience at WIC - when DS was about 3 weeks old, I was there and I had to tell the woman REPEATEDLY that I would not need formula. I really felt that she was pushing it. I also agree with another post about the juice thing - what about some fruit or some equivalent. There are 3 of us on WIC so I get a fair amount of juice - well last time I was there some woman in the next office was being told by the nutritionist that she was giving her DD too much juice. HELLO - then don't give us so much. I know that Dd doesn't drink too much but that's because I mix it weak and then dilute it in our glasses. I don't think that most of the people at my local WIC office would think of doing anything except what the can says to do. Another time I was there, someone was asking about DS and how big he was (about 20 lbs at the time) and what he ate. They were amazed that he was excusivley BF and so big - how could he get that big on just BM? I really feel that there is a severe lack of education on BF. If nothing else it's FREE. I don't think that the nutritionists are properly educated about BF or even nutrition, sometimes. JMO.

[phathui5]

For the record, you can get the natural peanut butter on WIC, just not organic. You don't have to get the weird hydrogenated stuff.

I don't think that the nutritionists are properly educated about BF or even nutrition, sometimes

At least here in MD, the nutritionists don't have ANY education in breastfeeding. (And they're not really nutritionists, too.) They get a one day training seminar on breastfeeding sometime within the first year of being hired. But a lot of the information at the seminar isn't accurate.

<--- WIC Breastfeeding Counselor in MD

[jeca]

What a wonderful idea for BF moms to get food for 2 years, it would really encourage BF to 2 years as is recommended. I really don't see them changing anything about formula s that is theer main push.

Vouchers to the local farmers market would be nice or at least adding fruits and veggies to their list.

[Dakota's Mom]

They give vouchers to the farmer's market here. But to is hard to find anything other than potatoes.

Kathi

[lilyka]

Rather than making it harder to get formula i think there are better ways to reduce the amount they hand out

Make a breastfeeding class or two mandatory for all pregnant women. If they were worried about cost I am sure LLL leaders would be more than willing to sign slips saying women had attended. As a participant I would have been more than happy to attend even though i didn't need it just because I would have been so happpy that one of thier freaking hoops was worth while. Also all new mothers should have access to a LC and should have her nursing checked on at her first postpartum visit (nothing invasive, just hey hows it going, any questions? do have a LLLL leaders phone number? do you have an LCs phone number? That sort of stuff. perhaps even some sort of one time bonus for BF. After all for every BF mother WIC saves a ton of money. Would it kill them to toss in some bonus vouchers as a reward.

More breastpumps available.

more bonus food for nursing moms. I got 2 cans of tuna and a a pound of carrots.

No mixing. the trick here for FF feeding moms is to say they are doing both and then they get all the formula and all the nursing foods. That shouldn't be allowed. You should have to shoose one or the others.

Other changes:
Smaller quantities of each food and more variety. vegitable, vegitables, vegitables. Puh-leeze!

If you don't want us drinking so much stinking juice and milk don't give us so much!!

Longer nursing packages./ Atleast two years or for as long as the child is nursing. I would be willing toprove it for them. Maybe most peoplew wouldn't.

For the peanut butter record:
Smuckers makes a natural pb that isn't refridgerated and is the only one (at stores here) that qualifies. I have gone to war over my PB and have never lost (although once it was sitting next to my juice and Ihad to take them to the isle to prove to them it wasn't refridgerated but just cold. Geez I hated it when people got upity.