Wic - Page 3

[sonrisaa29]

Originally Posted by llamalluv

When did WIC offices start distributing the formula at the offices? When my mother was on WIC with my little (now 18 yo) sister, we received "checks" (coupons, really) for formula, cereal, milk, eggs, cheese, and juice - redeemable at any grocery store that participated in WIC. There were no cans of formula at the office, just vouchers.

That is what i always thought too, in regards to formula that you got a coupon/voucher for it.

[APmomto3boys]

I think it is great that everyones wic offices promotes bf'ing but I think the problem starts before a pregnant women even enters the wic office. It is none by most people that you can get formula for free from wic. Something has to be done to make it harder.

[onelilguysmommy]

ive never seen a pro bf office. 2 states, the first one asked me what formula i was using, and i said mine and she looked like her jaw as about to drop off of her face and her eyes were bugging out, and then with my new one, they kept reminding me that i could come in at any time and get formula when i decided i didnt want to bf anymore, that i didnt have to wait until our next appointment to switch. : i informed them that i was still bfing my 2yo, so why would i give my newborn a bottle and they just laughed at me ya know with that little laugh people do if they think yore crazy?? :


and ummmm...last i checked, bfing literally is free, you dont need ANYTHING extra in most cases. i still dont get that " you can get free formula!" thing...

[sandygirl]

our WIC clinic is very pro-formula. Everytime I go in they ask what formula DD is on, and are shocked when I say we are still nursing.

they also make me come in monthly to get vouchers {even though DD is 13mo now} just to make sure we don't need formula {their words}

I hate it!

[Breastfeeding Insomniac]

Originally Posted by sonrisaa29

That is what i always thought too, in regards to formula that you got a coupon/voucher for it.

In NY, there was, and maybe still is, a program called FAN. It was a pick up site for infant formula, and canned food like fruit, vegs, meats, peanut butter, etc. Maybe this is what they person was referring to? I can def see how WIC and FAN can get confused.

[avedagrrl]

Originally Posted by natural_mama89

If they can provide free breastmilk for their child and choose not to breastfeed knowing that they cannot provide at least adequate nutrition (formula) for their child, yes I do think there is something wrong with the way they are thinking. I also don't think that it should be considered the government's responsibilty to provide formula to these people. Most countries don't do this.If you choose to use formula,you are responsible for buying it. In fact, I saw a thread awhile back about how many places in the UK require you to provide your own formula if you choose to feed formula in the hospital. A lot of people don't have access to the "freebies" that American women get.

I apologize, I am not attacking you personally. I am not saying that you are accusing anyone of abusing assistance programs - that paragraph was a general observation and had nothing to do with you whatsoever. I am questioning the blame that you are assigning to mothers and calling them "dumb" for not breastfeeding if they are able. The point I am trying to make is that I don't feel like blaming individual mothers for choosing to FF is really appropriate because in the US we are bombarded with Fab Formula marketing, a culture that barely tolerates breastfeeding, and a government that does not uphold the ethical guidelines for formula companies and advertising.

Again, I am sorry that you feel attacked, I am just really uncomfortable with using the word "dumb" to describe a mother's choice to FF. Especially when that choice for most women is truly uninformed. I am not advocating ignorance, rather pointing out that the real scoop on formula is not readily available, you have to look for it and most people just don't even realize they SHOULD look into these things.

[Petronella]

Chiming in to say that I've known lots of wonderful mothers who FF, for various reasons. But I still don't think it's so off-base to say that in some, perhaps many cases, the decision to FF, when it's for non-medical reasons, is a "dumb" decision.

If money is a problem, how can a woman not even consider the easiest, and cheapest option in feeding her baby? Choosing to FF when you could have BF, when you don't have a medical barrier, and are not WOHM...is a dumb thing to do.

Not gathering information about something so fundamental as basic care and feeding of your own child...is a dumb thing to do.

Believing everything you hear on some commercial...is a dumb thing to do.

I'm not saying a woman who does this is dumb about everything...but she is being dumb in this one area.

Making a dumb decision doesn't not make you a stupid or evil person, it just means you have made a dumb decision. We all do dumb or thoughtless things sometimes, it's just especially unfortunate when someone's blind spot happens to be something that is so important to her baby's health and her family's financial situation.

[ambivamom]

Originally Posted by earthmommy2

I too am a WIC BF Peer Counselor and EVERYWHERE in the office is proBFing stuff, we even give more stuff to BFing mom's. I can say that when I lived in California, the WIC office didn't support BFing as much but here it's a big deal and there is tons of support!! Maryland's wic program every BFing mom a bra every 3 mo, it's awesome IMHO.

I didn't know about this! What good is it to have these things if they don't offer?

I had to ASK for Farmer's Market coupons. And I had to ask if they gave out pumps. No one volunteered this information. The pump breaks every other time I use it, including the terrible filter on it, and I mentioned it to the lady at WC who said, "Oh we can give you more filters...." which no on e had told me before, and I had stopped using it b/c no $$ to order more.

I guess it seems to me that if they have these programs in place, they should be more vocal about what is on hand... Pro-bf posters are great, but how about another poster listing the kinds of supports they offer?

Sheesh-- I am still wearing stretched-out nursing bras that are 5 years(and three pregnancies) old!

[natural_mama89]

Originally Posted by Petronella

Chiming in to say that I've known lots of wonderful mothers who FF, for various reasons. But I still don't think it's so off-base to say that in some, perhaps many cases, the decision to FF, when it's for non-medical reasons, is a "dumb" decision.

If money is a problem, how can a woman not even consider the easiest, and cheapest option in feeding her baby? Choosing to FF when you could have BF, when you don't have a medical barrier, and are not WOHM...is a dumb thing to do.

Not gathering information about something so fundamental as basic care and feeding of your own child...is a dumb thing to do.

Believing everything you hear on some commercial...is a dumb thing to do.

I'm not saying a woman who does this is dumb about everything...but she is being dumb in this one area.

Making a dumb decision doesn't not make you a stupid or evil person, it just means you have made a dumb decision. We all do dumb or thoughtless things sometimes, it's just especially unfortunate when someone's blind spot happens to be something that is so important to her baby's health and her family's financial situation.

Thank you, I am glad someone understands what I was saying.

[jlsizemore]

My WIC office constantly asks me what formula I'm feeding my daughter and how many cans does she go through a month. I keep telling them that she's breastfed and I don't need any formula. I always get the eyeroll and 'oh honey, you know you can't bf exclusively, you do need formula for when they get hungry and you don't have any more milk. I'll just put you down for 10 cans to start'. Yeah, I told that lady that if she put me down for formula I'd rip the damn vouchers up in front of her. I've been using WIC for all my children during their first year to help make up for the fact that the Air Force pays my husband squat. This is not the first time I've dealt with being told I can't bf exclusively. Yeah, so babies numbered 1-3 must have starved to death b/c they didn't get a drop of formula!!

[MonkeysRUs]

Is WIC promoting infant formula?

Above is an interesting article on WIC and formula from INFACT Canada.

[jlsizemore]

Awesome artice, MonkeysRUs. Thanks for the link!!