WHY doesn't welfare encourage Bfing- wouldn't it save the government $$$?

[Amila]

I don't understand this- why don't government assistance programs encourage breastfeeding more? You can get free formula on WIC, but why don't they instead just pay for a few visits from a lactation consultant. It seems it would save them tons of money, AND be better for babies and mommas. Anyone understand this backward logic?

[~Megan~]

I'm sure it has to do with lobbists and money. WIC was started to help ailing dairy farmers make up some lost money.

[Daisie125]

WIC gets a 95% rebate on formula. It's cheaper to supply the formula that it would be to pay for an LC. Sad but true.

[phathui5]

The WIC office I used to work in did provide referrals and access to lactation consultants. I taught breastfeeding classes there and provided one on one counseling about nursing for moms who needed it. We gave out manual pumps and lent out electric ones.

[homeblossom]

Anyone understand this backward logic?[/QUOTE]
Youre talking about the government here, backward logic is their slogan.
WIC wont allow any whole foods other than carrots and having to choose between peanut butter and beans is ridiculous. Any mom uses both, not one or the other. You can have eggs, but not brown or free-range. You can have milk, but not organic or soy. They know how to butter their own bread, thats all. In this forum theres a mom who works for WIC looking for suggestions on how to convert the WIC program to make it easier to breastfeed and offer a more nutritious package to BF moms. SOrry I dont know how to link yet. Any suggestions would be great. Like whole grain as in THE whole grain cereal instead of flakes or Os. My kids used to have the WIC cereals for snacks only. We finallly dropped out when I was down to one kid cause we went to raw, unpasteurized milk.
phatui5- I love your signature, feel exactly the same way

[BBerryBliss]

Not that it really matters, but in WA I can get both soy and organic milk.

[Daisie125]

Originally Posted by Damiarayne

Not that it really matters, but in WA I can get both soy and organic milk.

In MI you can get soy and goat's (no organic) but only with a doctor's note.

[elanorh]

Our WIC office is run by an LC. And she is very supportive of bf (I believe she bf'd to 3+ years with her three children). She is (within her own power) very helpful for the few moms who are in WIC who are bf.

I think a larger issue is the area beyond her immediate control. The requirement that to receive welfare $$, mothers need to be looking for jobs. How many mothers of 6 months old who bf are going to be able to find a minimum-wage job which will allow her to pump (even with the free WIC pump?) ... I've heard stories (not in our community but online) about bf mothers who have been told that they should "wean already" when told that they must attend an all-day session to retain their status within a program or etc., and won't get bf/pump breaks.

And of course, there's the whole subsidies/lobbyist issue, too. If I were on WIC, there wouldn't have been ONE THING which I could have eaten with the WIC assistance (Ina was allergic to legumes, dairy, soy, eggs, wheat - and we avoided peanuts as a result). I don't think even a doctor's note would have enabled the program to allow me to buy rice pasta and more whole fruits/veggies or etc., KWIM? It's a government program, therefore it is bogged down by bureaucracy.

[Daisie125]

The requirement that to receive welfare $$, mothers need to be looking for jobs.

Not in MI. As long as you are a SAHM with a child under the age of 5 you qualify for every type of assistance, WIC, Food stamps, etc.

[MamaChel]

Daisie125, that is not true. In MI you qualify for WIC if you are a SAHM but FS and other assistance require participation in work related activities unless you are considered "exempt". Since the state provides child care for participants in the system, simply caring for the children is not considered work-related activities. You are given from the 6th month of pregnancy until a certain amount of time after the birth unless you are also caring for a disabled family member or are disabled yourself. My worker argued with me when I was pg with my DD about just getting a job even though I am exempt due to disability AND am participating in a federal ticket to work program that counts as "work related" activity AND was under a MW's orders to not engage in much strenuous activity. WIC has very different rules than the rest of the assistance.

(My 2 boys are 4 and not-quite 2)

[lacysmommy]

In this forum theres a mom who works for WIC looking for suggestions on how to convert the WIC program to make it easier to breastfeed and offer a more nutritious package to BF moms.

I don't actually work for WIC, I work for a government agency that writes contracts, some of which are multi-state contracts used by WIC.

WIC gets a 95% rebate on formula. It's cheaper to supply the formula that it would be to pay for an LC. Sad but true.

Yes. And if anyone is interested, I can provide a link to the contract because my agency is the one who wrote one of the contracts that about 15 states use for formula. I would post a direct link but that would probably make it really easy for someone to figure out who I am.

Not that it really matters, but in WA I can get both soy and organic milk.

I'm in WA and I can't get soy. All WIC programs are run by the Department of Health and soy milk is not an option for WIC, otherwise I would have gotten it today at my appointment since I told the lady I was on an elimination diet getting dairy out of my system. Do you actually get soy milk on your WIC checks? Because if you do I'll be interested in finding out how you were able to achieve that.

[BBerryBliss]

I checked and you are right about the soy. I was under the impression you could get it with a doctors note, but maybe not then either. I must have misread. I am allowed organic thou.

[Daisie125]

Originally Posted by MamaChel

Daisie125, that is not true. In MI you qualify for WIC if you are a SAHM but FS and other assistance require participation in work related activities unless you are considered "exempt". Since the state provides child care for participants in the system, simply caring for the children is not considered work-related activities. You are given from the 6th month of pregnancy until a certain amount of time after the birth unless you are also caring for a disabled family member or are disabled yourself. My worker argued with me when I was pg with my DD about just getting a job even though I am exempt due to disability AND am participating in a federal ticket to work program that counts as "work related" activity AND was under a MW's orders to not engage in much strenuous activity. WIC has very different rules than the rest of the assistance.

(My 2 boys are 4 and not-quite 2)

Well, I get assistance other than WIC and it says right on my paperwork from my worker that 1 parent in a 2 parent household may be excempt from working/looking for work as long as there is a child in the home under 5.

[FrederickMama]

I think that is correct if you are in a 2 parent household - one of you may be exempt but once one of you is working you would no longer be eligible financially.....usually anyway - there are always exceptions.

[Daisie125]

I guess I'm an exception. My husband has and has always had a job since he was 16.

[ohiomommy1122]

our wic office has a gruop of LCS that are great and so helful to me

[MamaChel]

Daisie125, I checked the state website and caring for a child under 6 is one of the reasons you *may* be deferred from participating in work activities. The do not have to defer you, I think it really depends on the individual case worker. My husband also works a full time job and I receive disability payments but our worker(s) have repeatedly tried to force me to work. I know that I am exempt from their work requirements but that doesn't matter.

Back OT: breastfeeding doesn't make anyone $ and that is a huge part of the govt programs. Nobody gets a bonus for BF because there is no brand name attached to mamamilk. When many moms are forced back into work shortly after the baby is born there is no incentive to them to even attempt to breastfeed. It's much easier to take the meds in the hospital and use formula, they have the support for that. Our WIC program is supposed to have LC and a breastfeeding peer counselor program, I know when I was nursng DS1, I got a gold ribbon at one of my appointments and the lady in charge made a huge deal about how I was breastfeeding my son and what a wonderful thing it was. Then the lady in charge of the coupons tried to convince me I needed formula.

[mommy2boys]

I'm in Florida and recently went on WIC here and find it frustrating. Nothing organic. I tried getting the natural and less sugar peanut butter (which was the same price as the regular kind) but they aren't allowed. Our WIC office has no breastfeeding posters up and have a room where they recommend you go to nurse.

My ds is also a small boy, but I am small too, he is in the 11th percentile, his doctor is fine with his weight as he used to be in the 2 percentile. But every time I go to WIC I get lectured on how he needs to put on weight and the food lists they give me are so full of refined sugars and unhealthy foods.

Beggers can't be choosers I guess, but it would really be nice if they were more supportive of breastfeeding and healthy eating.