WIC Mothers

[mommy2andrew]

I think we should start a message board on WIC. Iam on wic with my 3month old. Iam very gratful for them cause there are alot of families who are not making and who need some assistance. People who are on wic like are selfs are not to be judged. Alot of people would say get a better job or your lazy,or taking advantage of the program. I heard it all and I am very proud to be on this program until my little one is 5. So anyone on wic please talk let us know how its going. Sometime wic does get irritating when comes to switching formulas cause u need a doctor excuse if its not on there program.. Thanks:Wic is for :belly :bf :baby

[geekmom]

I'm on WIC for all of my foster children under 5. I'd qualify for it no matter what since I have no money. I have also foudn them very helpful, especially with formula which costs so much. Between WIC and cloth diapering I am able to afford to take foster babies, otherwise I wouldn't since I don't get money from the state for these things.

[mommy2andrew]

alot of babies need people like u to care and nuture them. U should be very proud of your acomplishments.. I am glad wic is there for u and your babies.:D

[MamaChel]

I am on WIC for my 11.5 month old. The extra food has been wonderful. (My ds is exclusively bf so we get tuna, carrots, beans, along with the other stuff, just no formula) I agree that it's a wonderful program. We have had no problems with judgement so far, we even get produce vouchers for fresh llocal produce in the fall.

[mommy2andrew]

I do admit the farmers market is only around certain times and its nasty food sometimes. But we have use what we have in order to survive..I am glad wic works for u and your babie

[phathui5]

I'm a breastfeeding counselor for WIC in MD.

[Colorful~Mama]

i was on wic with my now almost 3 year old but then we exceeded the income guidelines and got booted. I am back on now with her because dh's income dropped again and because i'm pregnant with #3. wic helps a LOT with our grocery bill. Milk, cheese, eggs, cereal, peanut butter... it really adds up.i'm grateful they're here for us right now when we need them.

i do have to say that for breastfeeding mothers i don't see a whole lot of support. They cut you off when your baby is a year old, tho the AMA supports bfing till age of 2. They looked at me like I had three heads when i said i was still nursing my 23 month old. They offer bfing mamas some carrots and tuna added onto our checks, but thats about it. i know the formula checks they give other new mamas is alot more then that.

i don't see a whole lot of incentives at least in our wic office for women to breastfeed honestly. but i am really grateful to them for helping us.
oh, we've never been offered any kind of farmers market vouchers. our checks are always the same. milk, juice, cheese, eggs, peanut butter or beans, cereal. thats it.

[mommy2andrew]

They are sweet as flowers..Your a good mom to all of your childrewn

[mommy2andrew]

the jobs are not good and dont pay good enough. There are food stamps but if u make to much u cant get none. Now thats something to think about. Cause in wisconsin they used to have welfare. U got 200 for each kid. So some would purposly get pregnant to get more money. Thats why they stopped it. Then they decide to give them 200 and thats it no matter how many kids u got. Then they got rid of it. I do admit there are some people who abuse the system and ruin it for the rest of us in need. Something to think about. any feed back?

[MamaChel]

At least where I am. (Detroit, MI)When DS was 4weeks, they asked when I would be supplimenting. In October, they asked if I was still bf and was I sure I didn't want formula. By January it was "Still BF- good for you." They gave me a gold ribbon to tie on the diaper bag. I think at least out here, they are trying to raise bf awareness, to get more women to at least try to nurse. Not many people here on WIC nurse though, I get tons of comments about- "I've never seen WIC provide that before" I think it's a good program, because so many families can't afford food and the price of formula is awful. That said, I think it's sometimes difficult for the WIC workers to encourage bf without appearing to judge mothers who don't. (I don't mean to offend anyone- my family is amazed that I bf for so long, every single one of them has had supply problems, so I'm very proud of my accomplishment.) They try to be as neutral as possible, it's a very personal decision and I respect them for respecting that.

[Momeforgirls]

Now having said that it's a blessing, I'd like to vent a little!
My dh and I are foster parents to drug exposed babies, and right
at this time, we have 3 of them. When my dh went on Friday to
pick up formula for one of our boys, he was told the computers were down, and therefore couldn't get any formula, come back on Monday. Thank goodness we have a wonderful pediatrician who says come by the office and I'll give you three cans of Soy formula to use over the weekend. So on Monday, dh goes back to W.I.C.
office, and is again told "computers are down...come back tomorrow"...dh says "you know what? Our babies don't give a hoot about computers...they are hungry!!" The supervisor gives
him two cans of formula and sends him back home. So today he
goes back in, and tells the lady "you'd better have some formula today, or you're coming home with me to take care of screaming
babies"..she gives him 2 cans of formula. I think this whole thing
is so frustrating! The supervisor also asked dh why the 2 year
old foster boy is still on a bottle and why soy formula. My husband tried to explain to her that the boy is a drug exposed child, and he WILL NOT eat any solid food except oatmeal, and we
have the blessing of a GREAT pediatrician and a wonderful child development specialist to keep W. on a bottle of soy formula for as long as that is needed to supplement his diet...which is almost nonexistant. When he came home and told me what the supervisor at W.I.C. had asked him....I was angry about it! I am doing the very best I can do with these little ones. Drug babies don't do things like your "normal" little ones. I would love to get them to eat stuff like normal kids. And drug babies have more incidence of milk intolerance than normal kids. Even our little 3 year old foster daughter is still on soy formula because she is still allergic to regular milk. W.I.C. will not allow formula for her. So,
the two boys "share" their soy formula with her. But of course we
can't tell W.I.C. THAT!:eek Sorry to be so long, and ramble on, but I can really get frustrated over this stuff!!

[mommy2andrew]

Wic is so mean.. I want to to thankyou for being foster parents. I feel sorry for your 3 kids being drug exposed. I would go off on the b#tch for putting your husband off like that. I think u are doing a wonderful job..Originally posted by Momeforgirls
Now having said that it's a blessing, I'd like to vent a little!
My dh and I are foster parents to drug exposed babies, and right
at this time, we have 3 of them. When my dh went on Friday to
pick up formula for one of our boys, he was told the computers were down, and therefore couldn't get any formula, come back on Monday. Thank goodness we have a wonderful pediatrician who says come by the office and I'll give you three cans of Soy formula to use over the weekend. So on Monday, dh goes back to W.I.C.
office, and is again told "computers are down...come back tomorrow"...dh says "you know what? Our babies don't give a hoot about computers...they are hungry!!" The supervisor gives
him two cans of formula and sends him back home. So today he
goes back in, and tells the lady "you'd better have some formula today, or you're coming home with me to take care of screaming
babies"..she gives him 2 cans of formula. I think this whole thing
is so frustrating! The supervisor also asked dh why the 2 year
old foster boy is still on a bottle and why soy formula. My husband tried to explain to her that the boy is a drug exposed child, and he WILL NOT eat any solid food except oatmeal, and we
have the blessing of a GREAT pediatrician and a wonderful child development specialist to keep W. on a bottle of soy formula for as long as that is needed to supplement his diet...which is almost nonexistant. When he came home and told me what the supervisor at W.I.C. had asked him....I was angry about it! I am doing the very best I can do with these little ones. Drug babies don't do things like your "normal" little ones. I would love to get them to eat stuff like normal kids. And drug babies have more incidence of milk intolerance than normal kids. Even our little 3 year old foster daughter is still on soy formula because she is still allergic to regular milk. W.I.C. will not allow formula for her. So,
the two boys "share" their soy formula with her. But of course we
can't tell W.I.C. THAT!:eek Sorry to be so long, and ramble on, but I can really get frustrated over this stuff!!

[girlzmommy00]

We get WIC as well. It's a huge help since my 9 month old and my 3 year old were/are both on this prescription formula called Neocate (it's amino acid based since they are even allergic to hypoallergenic formulas). But it costs $35 a can, way out of our budget.
But WIC covered Lauren's, my 3 year old, formula until she was 2 1/2 (she was able to start solid foods at 2 1/2 years old). They initially gave us a hard time but we contacted the state WIC office and had them contact our drs and they backed off. Now since Lily has the same condition, they are very helpful.
Here in NJ, they are also very helpful to the Bf moms as well. Locally they have a 24 hour BF hotline, they'll come to your home when ever you need (free), they gave me a free Ameda Purely Yours pump (I tried to BF not realizing Lily had the same condition as Lauren and needed the special formula), and were extremely supportive. The LC at the office was currently Bf'ing her 2 year old dd. I was pleased to see the BF support even if we weren't BF.

[TieDyeMom]

I'm on WIC as well. I BF my 9 mo but they save us about $40 a month in groceries for dh & me which we really need right now.

[Piglet68]

What is so sad about WIC offices who don't support breastfeeding....WIC's budget is largely spent on formula. For every baby who is exclusively breastfed, more and more families can be supported by WIC. If they are truly interested in helping all women and children who need it, they should be promoting exclusive breastfeeding as much as possible. The moms who choose to feed formula when they had breastmilk instead should stop and think about a foster child or other baby who could have used that formula instead but could not make it on the program due to budget restrictions.

[can you tell I just read "Milk, Money, and Madness"? lol]

[mommy2andrew]

thanks for sharing

[Piglet68]

hey, mommy2andrew - do you know how to use the PM (Private Message) feature? I have sent you a PM...on the drop-down list at the bottom left of this page you can select "private messages".

[LaffNowCryLater]

I'm on WIC for my 5 month old. I can't get food stamps b/c I live with my mom and am not old enough. I only can work 10-15 hours a week b/c I am also attending college. My son is also on Medicaid, partly b/c of a pre-existing condition(hydrocephalus) and partly b/c me and SO's jobs dont have insurance and I doubt we could afford it even if they did.

[Momeforgirls]

When my dh took our foster daughter in to W.I.C. for a 'check up',
the lady was rude to him, and then said (right in front of my fd)"she is fat". No business to say that in front of a CHILD, lady!!
My dh tried to explain that this little girl was a failure to thrive baby, and two different child development experts have told us that her body is in "starvation mode" and stores everything put in it as fat in case it might need it...but the woman wasn't even paying attention to what he was saying; or maybe she didn't understand it. :confused: Anyway, somehow the conversation got around to our foster son (who is drugged exposed, hyper active, and WILL NOT eat solids) and she had all kinds of things to say to dh because the boy will only eat things like oat meal, chili (she said 'CHILI?!'), spaghetti (she says "spaghetti?!"). She
then insisted that dh bring this boy in for a check up because she just knows he must malnurished and under weight. I was furious when dh got home and told me all the conversation at W.I.C.
The day of the foster son's appointment, I typed up a list of all the experts, the fax numbers, and telephone numbers this boy sees on a regular basis and told dh to give this list to the woman right off so she could see that we are trying really hard to keep this boy healthy in spite of his efforts to the opposite! I had also looked up the main W.I.C. email address online and fired off a letter their main office telling them how hard it is to be a foster parent in the first place without their agency undermining our efforts. I would appreciate some support here!! When husband walked in and handed the supervisor the list of doctors this child is seeing, the whole visit changed! She was amazed first off at the efforts we are making for a foster child, she was really surprised when she checked his weight and it's on target for a child his age (he's small for his age anyway..he was 3 months premature), and when she saw how hyper he is...she said she didn't see how we do it on a regular basis!! Anyway, she did say some positive things to dh about our care of this boy...leading me to believe that my email got to someone out there in the main office who must have made some phone calls. I am tired of being treated like I don't know my head from a rock whenever we take one of our three foster children into that W.I.C. office! Now, like I said in my very first post...I am thankful for W.I.C., they really are a great organization, and a blessing to so many. I think it's just this one supervisor in this one office..........

For girlzmommie whose children are on the $35 a can formula, at our W.I.C. office, you would not be getting this!! Even with a doctor's letter from our foster children's great pediatrician, we can not even get ISOMIL SOY FORMULA!!!! We have to take what is offered...the cheap soy stuff. And no, not all soy formulas are created equal!!

[mommy2andrew]

keep doing what u are doing . The babies are so lucky to have foster parents like u and your dh. Not many people would take drug exposed babies. You are a great person. :D :thumb :angel wic needs to be better educated on babies. Not all babies are healthy so they need to be more understanding

[Leetles]

I borrow a breast pump and I recieve the bf vouchers. With all of my children I borrowed a breast pump. They all have reflux and their condition isn't/wasn't as severe b/c I am breastfeeding.

My local WIC office is wonderful. I had thrush and they called to check on how I was doing and asked if my dr. treated me. They wanted to make sure that it was under controll so my milk supply didn't get compromised. Also, it's painful and they wanted to help me "keep on going" b/c some people can quit b/c of it. I was determined, but I definatley appreciated the support. They allowed me to copy information out of a book about bf and meds. They have replaced the kit to my breast pump 2x!

I am a single mom. I appreciate the bf support they give to me. It seems that when I go there for nutrician information, they take a few extra minutes to talk to me and reinforce the positives about my decision to bf.:)

[Momeforgirls]

Theresa, first of all, I am very excited and happy to hear you are breastfeeding your children!! :p Our own two daughters breastfed their children and the oldest daughter had trouble with thrush, and W.I.C. was a support for her, too. We had to laugh though because she told them she was breastfeeding, and they still tried to give her formula (just in case....) But my daughter says they were kind, and helpful to her with her own nutrition questions for herself. In the foster parent group I am in online, we are scattered throughout the United States, and it seems that it's here where we live, and in Georgia that gives the most trouble to the women receiving W.I.C. (hey! I was born and raised in Georgia!!! I LOVE that state....I am NOT attacking GA)
The foster mom from Georgia that I correspond with says she has come very close several times to just stopping W.I.C. for their little foster children because of the attitude of the people who work at the W.I.C. office. I emailed the main office here in our state, and I suggest anyone out there with W.I.C. concerns to look up the main email address for your state and email them!!
Be nice, be polite, but state your concerns to them.

And....Theresa, keep on keeping on!! Breastfeeding is the very best thing for your child. Just want to give my own support there!
The opinions stated here are MINE!!

[Leetles]

I used to live in GA! The office in Augusta was horrible. When I left, it was getting a little better, but I too, had to complain to the head WIC person. What is it with GA WIC? One time I had an appointment at 8 am and didn't get out of there until 3pm! That is when I complained! I quit several times, also. I would just go back when I needed it despirately. Also, the hospital that I went to for prenatal appts. had their own preggo WIC office, so that we weren't exposed to other children or had to wait forever, but that only lasted while I was pregnant.

I am in Virginia now, and I am truely impressed with WIC. It is a shame that it is so horrible else where. I was in shock when I first went there...as I was used to GA.

[youngnhappymamma]

We've been on WIC since I was pregnant with my first. We have soooooooooooo appreciated the help finacially!! (my dh is a student so we are very poor) We lived in new york state for four years and the WIC program there was super cool. They had little mini clinics in different locations through out the city/area so that you didn't have to drive to their main office for your appointment and they sent you a reminder card a few days before your appointment (it's so hard to remember appointments made months in advance!) and they were really supportive of breastfeeding and very friendly to me and my children and dh. Here in Colorado the WIC program feels completly different. You have to go to the main office for every visit where it takes up to 15 minutes to find parking, etc. And at every visit the WIC worker has asked me several times if I am sure I don't need any formula. And in new york you met with an office worker first who did all the paperwork portion of your visit then you got weighed and then you talked with a nutritionist. Here you just talk to one lady who does it all and I doubt she is a nutritionist. She doesn't even have kids! And I was late for an appointment once (couldn't find parking) and they totally went off about how that is not allowed and how they have a policy that they don't see people who are late. They also have a policy that if you miss two appointments you are booted off the program (that is what it says in their sign up paperwork). So I missed an appointment a few months ago (just totally forgot) so I called in to reschedule which was no big deal but I missed that one too (I really am not this irresponsible!!) so I haven't called back in because I am afraid they are going to tell me I can't be in the program anymore.....which is a stupid reason not to call in, I know.....and we desperatly need the WIC checks......so I know I am going to have to break down and call. I'm glad there is this thread....made me realize how stupid it is I haven't called!! :)

And I totally agree with you Piglet.....it is so lame they don't do a better job at encouraging bf.....they'd save so much more money and be able to help so many more families!!

[Lucky Charm]

I found this thread by accident and want to ask all of you wic mamas a question. Please put aside for a moment that wic doesnt support breastfeeding. my question is, does wic give you enough each month to buy enough formula to feed a baby? I mean, with the money or allowance you get each month, is it enough to go to the store and buy enough formula for every day?

the reason why i ask, is that twice in the last month, we have had babies come into the ER, having seizures only to find the moms are diluting the formula to "make it last longer". both these women were on medicaid, assistance and had WIC.

[Momeforgirls]

Number #l: to answer your question...NO we do not receive enough formula to last an entire month until we can get more...
and Number #2: our pediatrician wants our infants here on Infomil Soy, and W.I.C. refuses to supply the Infomil brand..too expensive they say. We get the cheaper version, and our pediatrician says the nutritition is not the same. So, I add one more scoop of the "cheap" stuff hoping to make it more nutritious for the little ones. One of our foster sons will not eat solid foods (drug exposed) and the pediatrician wants him to suppliment with Pedisure three times a day, and W.I.C. says he doesn't need the Pediasure so we have to choose either the soy formula or the Pedisure, but we can't have both! Then they cripe at us because the boy is underweight for his age!! Well, DUH!! :eek

[Lucky Charm]

That answered my question. Thank you. I mean it sincerely.

Now i know why the mom was watering down the formula. how incredibly sad. The two children that i mentioned were on life support, because their brains swelled from the formula being watered down.

I really thoght that if you got wic, that they "gave" you enough allowance/money for enough formula. whats the point if you cant adequately feed your baby?

Lisa

[elaine]

wow, I would like to know the reasons behind the brain swelling. I know you said, cause it was watered down..but the physiology.

anyway, WIC is meant to be a supplement to your income. I know it is not intended that I live off of only 4 lbs cheese, 4 gallons milk, 2 lb carrots etc., each month. Maybe it is important to explain to mothers that WIC does not provide ALL the formula you need and they will have to buy more to properly feed their baby. (so ideally they should breastfeed)

I am on WIC here in minnesota and it is pretty good. it was much better when I could buy organics with WIC. We have a farmers market program too. $20 per year. I am breastfeeding, it is going well.

-elaine

[nernie]

Also, I'm not saying this specifically about the ladies you saw, but something I have heard about is people getting the WIC formula and selling it for a large markup on a type of "black market". That would explain not having enough and having to dilute - because some cans were getting sold? I don't know because I bf'd, but my neighbor formula feeds on WIC and it provides all her formula (she doesn't have to buy extra) but we're in OR.
When dd was a babe I made it very clear that I was bf exclusively and at one of my appointments the lady GAVE me a can of formula - I didn't ask for it, I didn't mention formula in any way, it wasn't on my checks, she just handed it to me at the end of a visit and said "Just in case, because you can't breastfeed ALL the time." Made me vrrrry angrrrry!

[Greaseball]

(OK, I already posted this in Parenting Issues and Toddlers, so if you saw those then don't read this! It's just the same thing.)

My dd is 19 months old and she hates to lie down on the scale and the measuring tape at the WIC office. They have a policy of not allowing kids under 2 to be measured standing up. They also ask the kids to be stripped naked, which dd also does not like and which I think is really inappropriate in front of strangers.

I wrote them a letter saying that I could no longer ask dd to be naked in the office or to lie down. They wrote back and all they did was clarify "the policy." We had an appointment today and they did say she could keep her clothes on and agreed to try the standing measurements, but dd started screaming and thrashing around as soon as we got in the room. She isn't like this at her ped's office, so she must really hate the WIC place. She would not stand on the scale and she would not stand against the wall to be measured. She was thrashing around so much that the examiner left the room and when she came back it still wasn't any better. She told us that she would let it go this time but that at the next visit if she didn't get the measurement we would not qualify for the program. (We have had this same examiner the whole time, BTW.)

I don't know why she hates the WIC office so much when the ped's office is where she gets the shots! She doesn't like the scale there either but she doesn't cry the whole time. I'm thinking we may just have to "not qualify." I can't keep dragging dd to a place she does not like. (Oh yeah, and apparently my breastmilk is "sapping the iron right out of her system." ) The vouchers really help but if they can't be more child-centered maybe it is not worth it. Besides, we got our farmer's market checks for the year.

So I guess this is just a vent. Maybe I will wait until she is 2 or 3 and try it again. I just don't know why they have to be so mean. If you can't deal with normal childhood behavior, I say you've got the wrong job!

[mommy2andrew]

I am so sorry that happened to you and your little girl. Our wic office in wisconsin isnt like that I dont think. My ds is only 16pds and they measure him with just dipe on and they measure him like that too. You need to sue of something cause that is so unfair my mouth actually :jaw They cant make her stripe if she is uncomfortable and so are you. Maybe u can get a doctors excuse explaining that the child should not stripe. Its your right as a mommy to say what goes on in wic or anywhere else. That is tramatizing. If wic tries that with ds I dont what I would do. That is discrimintion and u can file something..Good luck!!!!

[Momeforgirls]

Greaseball, I'm also so sorry about your experience with WIC, but not really surprised. Our office is the same way, and whenever one of our foster children need to go in, I get angry all over again.
We take our foster children to a wonderful respected pediatrician
and I feel that a "wannabe" nurse or doctor (sorry, I really call
them "Fisher Price doctors"!) has no reason to be examining our
kids. The lady examined our three year foster daughter (we are
adopting her. She was a failure to thrive infant) and actually told
my dh right in front of our fd that "she is too fat". Then they
proceeded to take her off of peanut butter!!:confused: Yeah, right, like peanut butter is why she has gained weight!! This child was a failure to thrive infant, and we took her to a specialist
to make sure we were doing things right for her, and now he tells us (after seeing her all of her 3 years) that she is healthy, and he likes what we have done with her. The thing is, we can't control what her body is doing with the calories she is taking in. Her body thinks she may be starving again, and so now it's keeping everything taken in as fat. We are told that this is normal for a
failure to thrive child to gain weight like she has done, and not to worry. We are careful to watch her diet, and not give her "empty"
calories. We don't even buy cookies or junk foods at all. She loves veggies, and fruits. She has problems swallowing, so she will chew meat, then spit it out. But the woman at WIC doesn't
even listen when my husband tries to tell her this stuff. She starts spouting off right in front of fd about her weight, and about
the peanut butter!!:eek
Greaseball, look up the main website for your WIC office online,
look for an email address, then let the main office know what's going on with your office there. Be polite, be nice...but let them
know what's taking place at that office. It helped in our case.
Good luck...and please post and let us all what happened!:p

[Greaseball]

The website said children must have a nutritional risk to qualify. Maybe that's why they want the height and weight - to demonstrate how "unhealthy" she is? I don't get it. I know there are things I can do, like write more letters and talk to the people in charge, I just have to figure out if we really need WIC that badly. We won't know until later in the fall what our situation will be, and we don't have to go to the office again until October so that will buy us some time to think about it.

I wish they wouldn't criticize her body in front of her - I think the best thing to do is always assume the kids can understand you and are capable of internalizing your message. That's so mean that they told your child she was fat! They tell me that dd is short and skinny with a big giant head, although her doctor says she is perfectly proportioned and perfectly healthy.

I looked at the income req's and was surprised to see that one can make $2300 a month with a family of 3! I can't imagine who would go to that kind of trouble if they made that much money. We make maybe $1500 and I thought for sure we were just barely in.

It seemed like in the beginning it wasn't that bad - dd didn't seem to mind the appointments and they were fairly supportive of bfing and our diets; now they see her health as somehow inadequate.

[mommy2andrew]

They only ask us to stripe ds down to his dipe I hope they dont do that when he gets older I mean all of his clothes off. They cant refuse to give u anything if u refuse(which I dont blame u)for taking of her clothes. That is discrimation big time..good luck hon

[mamamarieke]

Wow, WIC sure sounds different in other parts of the country. Our WIC office is spectacular (so far). I got on it when I was pregnant. I eat really well, so when the worker counted up all my foods for the day and said I ate better than her (lol) she found a way to fudge me into the system. They needed a 'risk factor' so they used my high BMI (I'm a fat mama).

When Morgan was about 2 weeks old we discovered we had significant feeding problems and he was losing weight (inadequate suck, etc etc etc) and WIC actually paid for me to see an IBCLC and pays for the hospital-grade pump so that he can still get my milk. He does get some formula since I can't pump enough for his entire need, but they don't give me formula coupons since I'm still officially 'exclusively breastfeeding'. I was worried that since he was getting some amount of formula every day that they'd stop consider me breastfeeding and cut off my portion of WIC, but they didn't. They won't pay for a pump *and* formula, but that's okay since he doesn't eat much of the formula and I have about 6 $10 coupons for Similac, which will last me a long time if he's only having ~10oz of it a day.

My big problem with WIC is the amount of milk they expect me to drink every month! 5 1/2 gallons? How the hell am I supposed to do that??? lol

[Momeforgirls]

I wonder why WIC isn't better regulated? If our federal government runs WIC (I'm guessing here) why aren't the policies
the same in all the states?:confused: Maybe it's a case where
the government says the states will all have WIC, but each state
can do their own thing.... But no state should be allowed to
hurt, or belittle a child because of that child's size or weight..nothing a child ever has any control over.

I have found this message board to be informative, supportive,
and friendly. Thanks.:p

[Greaseball]

I used to know some homeless women who were pregnant and would starve themselves for a day or more so they would be "low iron" and thus qualify for WIC. It seems strange they should have to resort to that; I would think if one is homeless they should qualify for anything!

I also did not know what to do with the milk so I did lots of cooking. Baking, soups, etc.

Next time I go I will just contradict everything they say by citing dd's doctor and LLL, and will ask to see it in writing if they say we are off the program because they did not get a measurement.

[Momeforgirls]

But since YOU did....mind if I ste...uhhhh...borrow it? But my dh is
not as outspoken as I've been since I turned....uhhhh...more mature!:p

The pg women, low iron thing, skipping meals; makes me angry.
Homeless, pg...should qualify no questions asked of them. Show up at MY door, and I'll feed you if you're pg and homeless!! Besides, I'm good friends with the director of Crisis Pregnancy
Outreach here in our area...wonderful Christian woman. She never turns anyone away from her door:love

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

ita piglet- the formula (plus 6 months for the non- bf mama) costs lots more for them to provide every month than does the 1 year of benefit for the bf mama/

wic is meant to be a supplemental food program. i couldnt imagine they expect anyone to live exclusively off of what is provided.

our wic office is not very bf friendly. with ds i had the nurse always questioning if i was sure i didnt want a can, just in case- "so dad could watch the baby, and i could go out". ugh!

they are a little better now, but not much. :(

[mommy2andrew]

http://groups.msn.com/bottlebreastandwic feel free to join I use your experiences on my group

[phathui5]

sweetbaby3- WIC is (I think someone else said) a supplemental nutrition program. It's not food stamps, and it's not meant to cover everything that you need. I believe it's about 2/3 of a baby's formula that we cover. Also, the amount of formula WIC provides does not change as baby grows. Thus, the older the baby gets, the more parents have to buy.

Momeforgirls- Our federal government actually doesn't run WIC. WIC is a state run program, funding and all. The regulations and even the foods that WIC provides differ from state to state. For example, North Carolina and Hawaii provide soymilk for people who want that over cow's milk, though most other states do not.

Greaseball- That stinks. Here in MD, a pregnant homeless woman does qualify automatically. They don't have to have low iron because homelessness is a nutritional risk.

[mommy2andrew]

This is why I would like u ladies to come and share your ideas about it. One of my rules is no bashing if someone does bash u they will be removed..I have a lady who is for breastfeeding and I respect her decision to breastfeed.

[Sara29]

I got on wic around june.My 4yo dd and 16mo ds are on it.What I like are getting organic eggs and juice and cereal.Plus the produce vouchers.We have a few farms to pick from,but I have yet to go.They were good about not hasseling me about vaccine issues. I let them do an iron check the first time around,but won't allow it anymore.Does anyone happen to know when they do it again on kids with good levels?

What I don't like about WIC is that they don't offer alternatives for people who don't drink milk,or want to cut down on dairy consumption.Plus I don't like how my dd is labeled high risk because I don't give her cows milk.Milk isn't really all that healthy.Ds is not on that risk list since I still bf him. I don't like those food forms they have us fill out.I really don't know how much she eats in each group per day,week.She eats a variety and eats better than most kids since I try to avoid colored or processed foods.

I think giving only tuna to bfing mothers is also bad since tuna has mercury in it.Better to offer other fishes with EFA's not mercury.

Gotta go to the store so I will write more later. I do like the medina county WIC much better than the cuyahoga one here in ohio.
Sara

[mamamarieke]

Sara, they let you get organic? I can't here.

[Momeforgirls]

I wish we got the produce vouchers that some places give out. I'm thankful for the soy formula, but wish we could get some fruit and veggies, too :p

We've tried to grow some veggies ourselves, but too much drought during our hot summers, and somehow we just can't get
stuff to grow. The tomatoes always split and then rot.....

[stirringleaf]

we can get organic stuff here too. its nice. i dont give DS milk though, so i am wondering now if they call him high risk.

to be honest, my WIC office isnt very educated about BF . AND when i was PG , and asked them about mercury in fish, they had NO idea what i was talking about. they had no info on it. although they do now, cuz i kept pestering them...they are nice, or at least a few of the workers are really great, but just...i dunno...i think they are ignorant, and they seem to think all WIC recieving mammas are uneducated and prone to neglecting their childre. so they come off as really condecending due to that prejudice.

also, last thime i was there my 18 month old was really wild and wouldnt stay in the cubicle i was in with the WIC lady, and i was obviously having a hard time but she didnt even acknowledge it really, just kept talking and handing me handouts about nutrition and toddlres, etc...i was getting so stressed and trying to be nice to her by "paying attention" to what she was telling me----but she was not going to cut me my checks and let me leave till she was all done expleining what was written on the handouts ,when i could have read them at home! anyway, then i couldnt carry all the crap and wiggling ds, and all i got were weird looks as i slowly made my way out the door, DS kicking and struggling the whole way and me dropping papers all over the place...

i was sweating and crying by the time i got in my car. i felt so humiliated by the whole thing.

not very child friendly if you ask me! i hate going there, andi cant wait for the day when DH and i dont need to degrade ourselves for food anymore. (we get foodstamps too)

[Greaseball]

I wish WIC would quit using that outdated, unhealthy USDA food guide pyramid. It's been shown over and over again there are healthier ways to eat, and no you don't need to eat meat and dairy 3 times a day!

[Ravin]

I've been getting WIC for a couple of months now. Before I went on it I ate almost no dairy and no eggs at all. Now, I'm back to putting the eggs in things and eating the cheese, mostly because money has been so tight for us that it's almost the only food in the house. I SO wish I could get more peanut butter and less dairy! I was almost vegan there for a while, but beggars can't be choosers. When we have grocery money, DH and BIL drink the milk and we buy soymilk for me. I figure that way, we're not buying the milk they'd drink because of the WIC, so it's still supplementing my grocery bill, and what they don't know won't hurt me, lol!

My next appointment is after the baby comes. DH says even breastfeeding mothers get formula here (His first wife was on WIC with his daughter and breastfed), but I'm going to refuse it or, if it's just automatically on the checks, I'll donate it to a shelter or food pantry (maybe the one I had to go to for groceries last month since we didn't qualify for food stamps based on income even though we're both unemployed and had none...but that's a different rant.)

I'm also going to see about getting a pump, though I'm not sure my state does that, since I might have to find a job after the baby comes, we're so far behind at this point.

[sunmountain]

I was on WIC for many years. I live in PA.

I dropped the program (though it was an immense help) due to all of the appointments I had to make. At more than one point I had me, an infant and a toddler on the program, that meant Doctor visits happened 6x/yr, as well as the 6x/yr I had to go to the wic office. As if I needed MORE appointments to keep track of, not to mention the babysitters I have to arrange or the chaos which ensued by bringing the kids with me.

I miss the farmer's market vouchers :(

Our offices got progressively better over the 7+ yrs I was on WIC, regarding bfing. they stopped offering me formula after the third baby! They always sent me to the "new kid" I think on purpose. Imagine their horror when I told them I was waiting until 2yo to vax :LOL

And they get subsidies for the formula they give away. It costs them more money to have a bfing mom in the program, though I know that some are getting around this a little with the farmer's market vouchers, and the smaller farmers are getting more business b/c some states allow organic food and dairy products.

i am saddened to hear some of your stories. You should be outraged.

[PuppyPrints]

Do you need to vaccinate your child to qualify for WIC? :confused:

[Momeforgirls]

In our area, immunizations are not a requirement for WIC, but
they sure will nag about them! They will do the immunizations
on the spot if needed, and we have had to show proof of shots
to remain in the program. Both of our foster boys will be adopted
out leaving our home pretty soon...probably by the end of Sept,
so thank God I can make WIC history at our house!!!!!!

[sunmountain]

they will tell you they are required, but there are ways around the system. You can claim religious/philosophical exemptions usually, if you can't claim medical. They can't deny you for not vaccinating, lika a private organization can. They are state funded and must abide by state laws regarding exemptions (like the public schools do).

yeah, they will hassle you a lot about them, too. I just told them we weren't vaccinating until they were older b/c of a history of severe vax reactions in our family.

[PuppyPrints]

Thank you so much for your replies.
I don’t want to vaccinate, but my sons father feels vary strongly about getting them and of course I will respect him. But when it comes to WIC and public schools, its GOOD to know you can get around it. but that wont be my story :(

[sunmountain]

puppy, you will find lots of support here either way. I didn't feel comfortable NOT vaxing at all, so I opted for a middleground, by vaxing my last three on a delayed schedule. But I'm curious, why can't HE respect YOUR view on it? No need to answer me here, you can pm me if you want to continue this, sorry to the OP for going so OT.

[Momeforgirls]

As I have stated here before, my dh and I are foster parents
and we are on the WIC program in behalf of our three foster
children. Well, our foster sons' attorney sent us a letter stating that he had made us an appointment to see the two boys on
Sept 2nd at 9:00 a.m. That appointment is required by law in
our state, and it can be broken, but it needs to be an emergency
reason to break it. Well, we also have an appointment with WIC
at the same time on the same day. So, yesterday dh calls WIC to
say he would need to change the appointment time or date. They
RAKED HIM OVER THE COALS!! He hung up that phone madder
than I have ever seen him. They told him appointments can not
be changed or broken, and to do so would forfeit our using WIC
in the future. Dh tried to tell the woman that it's a state requirement that the boys see their attorneys when the attorney
says so, but she WOULD NOT LISTEN to him. Oh brother! I am
soooooo tired of this stuff.:angry Nothing is worth this type of
constant aggravation. When these two children leave our home..
we are finished with WIC. The other child we are adopting, and
she will not be on WIC!!!!

[Mona]

Momeforgirls - sorry you have had such a difficult time. yuch

When I went into pick up my vouchers the other day, they told me that DD would have to be checked for iron the next time we came in. Is this routine? And mandatory?
I am able to get out of this bc my pediatrtion guilted/scared me into getting this done last month, so i can just fax the results to the wic office, but i am curious just the same.

[Momeforgirls]

Where we live it is done every single time we take the kids in to
sign up again for WIC. I get angry every time it's done, because
in our case, also, it's done at the Pediatrician's office, and is not
necessary to be repeated. Our precious little foster daughter is
so afraid of going to the doctor's (she is drug exposed, and has medical conditions because of this, and has sure had her share
of medical visits) so that anytime she goes out with her daddy, she always asks him what they are doing and where they are
going. He always tells her the trutch about the visit, and if it's
a WIC exam, he tells her they are not going to stick her, just weigh her, etc. He has had to stop telling her this, because they
do "stick" her on every visit...plus tell dh right in front of her that
"she's fat". He tries to explain that this is a medical condition she
has, and is slowly going away....but they don't listen. I get angry
that they say this stuff right in front of her...she has tubes in her
ears...BUT SHE IS NOT DEAF!!!

[sunmountain]

the iron tests and red blood cell counts are required to determine nutritional need and for statistical purposes. They are a good idea, imo, but don't need to be done if you are already having them done at the doc's. Our clinic required they be done no more than 2 weeks prior to the WIC appt, and gave us a form for the nurse/doc to fill out. Our doc's offices actally have "nurse wic visit" appts, and that way they can streamline those patients without taking up the docs time doing a simple blood test. Our local clinics also provide this service, free of charge. But our wic offices only required them twice a year, maybe 3x or more if the results were really low.

[stirringleaf]

we should all print this thread out and mail or bring it into our local WIC offices. i wonder if it would be an eye opener for them to see how some mothers feel about going to WIC visits.
we could attach a letter that explains what this thread is and ask that they read with an open mind, that we are giving this to them in hopes that they become more sensitive to these issues.

i say we should but then i wonder if i will actually do it. what do you guys think of that idea?

[gurumama]

Originally posted by sweetbaby3
That answered my question. Thank you. I mean it sincerely.

Now i know why the mom was watering down the formula. how incredibly sad. The two children that i mentioned were on life support, because their brains swelled from the formula being watered down.

I really thoght that if you got wic, that they "gave" you enough allowance/money for enough formula. whats the point if you cant adequately feed your baby?

Lisa

I know this thread is old, but I want to address this issue.

Have you looked at a can of powdered formula recently? Similac or Enfamil? Notice how the standard size can is 12.9 oz?

In 1998/99 when I fed formula to my older son (we supplemented due to my breast reduction), the cans were 14 oz. Back in 1995/96 they were 16 oz.

In 1996, a baby using WIC formula would have received 12-16 oz cans of formula for the month. That's 192 ounces of powder to make whatever amount of liquid formula that makes. It was enough to supply all the baby's needs, with a few exceptions.

Now they get 154.8 ounces of powder. That's a reduction of 27.2 ounces--or approximately a little more than 2 CANS per month.

There's an article floating on the internet (maybe at breastfeeding.com--not sure) that explains how the marketing geniuses :rolleyes: at the big formula companies realized that WIC would b*tch up a storm if they tried to reduce the number of CANS received per month. But if they reduced the amount in each can, then WIC babies would come up short each month, and then viola! every baby on WIC would have parents running out to buy one or two cans of formula at the end of the month.

Creepy, huh?

My sister's kids were on WIC in 1994, 1998, and 2002 (the formula portion). She vouched that she always had enough with her daughter, ran a little low with her first son, but now, with her third child, she's buying 2 or 3 cans a month. If you're on WIC, even the WalMart stuff is tough to manage, especially at the end of the month before a paycheck.

Sigh...

[Greaseball]

I thought of another thing...WIC is somewhat racist in that they only provide food that fits into a standard American diet. They do not provide staple foods for Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern or other diets, not to mention diets for certain religions that require vegan choices only.

[sunmountain]

it's a subsidy for the dairy farmers in the US. They produce the cheese, the milk AND the formula (which uses the byproduct of the cheese manufacturing).

Why would they reduce that subsidy by offering soymilk, etc...? The farmer's lobbyists would be FURIOUS.

[busybusymomma]

Originally posted by Leetles
One time I had an appointment at 8 am and didn't get out of there until 3pm!

I was there one time for a few hours and that was bad enough! :( It was a week after I had my ds and we had a 1:00 appt. I wasn't cooking every meal at the time (frequent nursing ya know!) so we decided we'd deal with lunch when we got done. I had all my paperwork filled out etc but it still took the girl over 2 hrs to get my information taken care of. I was so tired and shaky afterwards... and mad! :angry

I was supposed to pick up my checks last week and still haven't done it. They told me I don't need an appt this time, but sure as anything if I leave the kids napping with dh they'll ask where the kids are because they need to stick their fingers. :bang

They were amazed that I bf dd until 20 mo (she weaned by herself). When ds was a few weeks old a bf'ing counselour or whatever they are called me asking if I needed help. She asked how long I intended to nurse and I said "Till he's done". <long pause> She said, "Okaaay. How long did you nurse your daughter?". I told her and she basically said, "Well great. If you need anything- call!"

If money didn't get so tight, I would just forget about it since I prefer Organic anyway.

One thing I noticed... I started WIC when I was 20 weeks pregnant. A few weeks later I suddenly started gaining weight. Coincidence? I dunno. Before that, I didn't keep tons of cheese and milk in the house. :shrug

[busybusymomma]

Originally posted by sunmountain
it's a subsidy for the dairy farmers in the US. They produce the cheese, the milk AND the formula (which uses the byproduct of the cheese manufacturing).

Why would they reduce that subsidy by offering soymilk, etc...? The farmer's lobbyists would be FURIOUS.

Exactly! We don't drink milk and even though I've told them this they try to give us about 6 gallons of milk a month (they've finally switched it to 4 gallons of milk and upped my cheese by 4 packages a month). We use maybe two and often have to pour out the bottom of it because it goes bad. I use it for cooking (soups, add ReaLemon to it to make buttermilk for pancakes etc) and we pour it over cold cereal and that's it. I have actually developed a bit of lactose intolerance in the last several months and I believe it's because before I was preggo I didn't comsume very many dairy products unless they were cooked into something. I get the chunk cheese so that it has less junk added to it.

I think they would better serve bf'ing moms if they would provide more fruits and veggies. They do the farmer's market checks in the summer, but what about the rest of the year? I end up with a cart full of dairy products and cereal containing BHT or other junk. :rolleyes:

I know, beggars can't be choosers but since I'm informed and I know all about the hormones, antibiotics and preservatives used in commercial food I hate when we end up consuming so much of it. :( Alas I keep hoping and praying that dh will get a better paying job so that we won't qualify anymore.

[Greaseball]

Beggars can and should be choosers! There is no excuse for giving unborn children low-quality food.

I took dd off WIC since she hates the appointments so much, but I can get on since I am pg. I can't wait to tell them I'm still nursing!:D We really do like the free cheese.

[newmomi]

we are also on WIC. my dd is 7 1/2 mo. old and they have helped a lot with her formula. they were also a lot of help with extra groceries when i was pregnant. i dont have a bunch of money so any help is great. people should never judge b/c you ask for a little help. every situation is different.


allyn
mommy to savannah:diaper 3/12/03

[stirringleaf]

greaseball, about low quality food:

in alot of states they allow you to choos organic items, so its not always low quality. i cant afford to buy organic orange juice , eggs, and cheese, so WIC really helps with that. i dont use the milk so i have plenty of room on my checks to get organic, good food. the only things you cant are cereals, since they only allow specific brands, like GM, etc. ( here in MT---but i have also heard of that in other states) . so i get cheerios, kix , but everything else org.

however i just quit WIC cuz of other issues...i just cant stand going there.

[Greaseball]

I only took dd off the program because she got so upset at the appointments. My only personal issue with them is that every time I see them, they tell me I am overweight. They are the only ones who think so, that's for sure!

That's good you can get organic. We just got food stamps so now we do buy nearly all organic. (Except for dh, who keeps buying Western Family! He says he doesn't want to waste money...)

[honey]

My kids and I were on WIC for a long time, and when I became a single mom, I worked there for a few years! I feel like I can see both sides of the story!

When you go to WIC, if you or your child is mistreated by an office worker or dietician, you should make a formal complaint. I am shocked at some of the horrible things WIC staff has said to you all!!! What you may not know is that you have to qualify based on your income and based on a health risk. That is why you fill out the diet history and get your finger poked. They are supposed to tell you what your risk is, ie "you are overweight, or underweight, or anemic or your child is too small" or whatever However, if they say this in a way that offends you should complain.
Because WIC is a federal program, they are held accountable for everything they do. We were audited every year, and if anyone ever complained it was a BIG deal.

Remember that the office staff is not picking the food. It is an outdated federal program that was designed 20+ years ago.
Now, they are researching changing the food packages, so this is your chance! In the board here called activism, there is a post called New WIC guidelines for food packages. Check it out! The federal government wants your opinion! Tell them what you want in your food packages! But hurry, they have to be in by 12/15/03.

If there is no breastfeeding program at your WIC, call the office manager and ask what you can do to help! Most clinics don't have the funding to hire breastfeeding counselors and rely on volunteers. At our clinic, we had 3 or 4, and I was also one. A lot of the staff, just like a lot of americans in general, don't know enough about breastfeeding and need to be educated.

Peace.

[Ms.Doula]

i do have to say that for breastfeeding mothers i don't see a whole lot of support. They cut you off when your baby is a year old, tho the AMA supports bfing till age of 2. They looked at me like I had three heads when i said i was still nursing my 23 month old. They offer bfing mamas some carrots and tuna added onto our checks, but thats about it. i know the formula checks they give other new mamas is alot more then that.

i don't see a whole lot of incentives at least in our wic office for women to breastfeed honestly. but i am really grateful to them for helping us.
oh, we've never been offered any kind of farmers market vouchers. our checks are always the same. milk, juice, cheese, eggs, peanut butter or beans, cereal. thats it.


SAME HERE!!!! :splat

[momsmyjob]

Your exactly right. They don't offer much support and the only extra is tuna and carrots.

The Wic counselor asked me the other day if I was giving Jack whole milk. (He's 13 mos old) I told her no..I don't plan on it either. Then she tells me I shouldn't be nursing him at night because it can rot his teeth. I said..he sleeps in my bed and I nurse him at night..I've done it with 6 other children and not one of them have rotten teeth. Well she shut up.

[Ms.Doula]

YEAH!! We were shown a dumb video on dental health & It was talking about infant/childhood Caries (cavities) and I made sure I said LOUDLY that does NOT APPLY TO BREASTFEEDING. Only Bottle feeding & FF!!! And one of the WIC ladies said no. ANYTHING other than WATER. And I had to explain WHY it does not apply...... Yadda yadda yadda :crap

She didnt believe me till another councellor overheard & backed me up.

How can they pretend to promote Breastfeeding, and then NOT KNOW THE FACTS and NOT give awesome support!?! :bang

[luv my 2 sweeties]

I have been perusing this thread, and I find it both interesting and somewhat disheartening. I never used WIC personally, but in my pre-kids job, I had some contact with WIC officials. (I worked for a food bank association.) I was under the impression that promotion of breastfeeding was very important to them (I live in Michigan -- it seems like this varies by state?) Of course that may be the official line, while the practice is very different. But they were always handing out BF literature and showcasing breastpumps, etc.

Does WIC use BF peer counselors? I assumed they did, and I have been considering getting trained for this. After reading much of this thread, I'm ready to go sign up! Sheesh -- it sounds like so much undermining of bf is going on for the few women who choose to do it! :angry I'm just wondering if any of you met with, or were offered a peer counselor? If so, what did you think of the experience? Have any of you served as a peer counselor?

On a side note, my oldest child was ff after a disastrous bf experience. :( One day, I was chatting with the cashier at the grocery store, and we commented on the high cost of the formula. I made some sort of gripe about it, and she said, "Why don't you just get WIC?" Like how stupid of me not to think of that. :rolleyes: (Actually, we probably would have almost qualified if we could have deducted from dh's salary the amount of money we were shelling out for formula!) I am still bf my 17 m.o. ds and the cost savings were a life-saver when he was an infant! :thumb

[MamaChel]

Around here they do- at least they say they do. There are (or were when I last went in May) flyers up for their bf peer counselling program. They did tell me a couple times that if I had problems to call and they would come out for free and help me so I could continue to bf. I went off WIC before my sons 1st birthday because we no longer needed the package even though we still qualified. It had become too much of a hassle to get rid of the extra food each month- we don't drink milk, use very little juice, don't eat eggs, eat very little peanutbutter, don't often use cheese, and I'm allergic to seafood so the tuna is dangerous over here. We also donated all the baby juice and cereal because we never used any of it- we got big juice and baby juice and would use maybe one bottle a month. For us WIC was really an unnecessary bother to go in and be treated poorly to wait for hours for vouchers for foods we don't eat. There are so many needy families out here that we felt the resource would be best used by someone else. I wish they had BF peer counselors at the appointments instead of the workers who offer formula "just in case" -don't they realize how that can harm a bf relationship?

[eilonwy]

:wave Hi! I am on WIC with my 13 month old son and the Bean in the Belly.

I have to say that before I moved, I was very impressed with WIC's breastfeeding support. I got my first positive comment on tandem nursing from a WIC nurse, and throughout my pregnancy they gave me information on breastfeeding. They were way more supportive than my doctors ever were. All I got from them was "Are you going to breastfeed or formula feed? Oh, OK." WIC was always giving me info and saying "Do you know how much formula costs? WIC formula won't last through the month!" and "You can get a free pump from WIC! Ask us how!"

When Eli turned one, the nurses were really sad that they had to take me off as a breastfeeding mother. They were so excited that I was still nursing him and so positive about my nursing through the pregnancy. One of them actually apologized to me. :LOL

Of course, my mother told me that the Lancaster WIC office had the highest number of breastfeeding mothers in the state; 94% were nursing at 6 months. Very impressive!

[guerrillamama]

any NY WIC moms on this thread? i am about to start WIC, wondering if they offer pumps, organics, farmers market vouchers in NY?

[Unreal]

time to revive this thread ;)

Actually I just want to vent about WIC here in NY

1) all you can get is canned juice. No bottles of OJ (and I'm sorry but canned juice tastes CANNED) or apple juice. Well, okay, they list two kinds of bottled apple juice you can get, but I've never seen either on the shelves. We can, and do, get the unfrozen juice concentrates though.

2) They make you get EVERYTHING on the check here. So I can't skip out on one thing to get better quality of something else. Not to mention they specifically mention that you cannot get stuff like the eggland best eggs or organic milk.

3) ds is about to recertify, since he is 1 now. I just filled out the stupid diet form.
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING on there about breast feeding. Asks if he eats/drinks chicken nuggets, french fries, soda, beer, coffee...but not a single question about breastmilk.

I wrote it in myself :LOL

4) Apparently I am the only one in this area that exclusively breastfeeds, cause I keep getting comments at the store: Are you sure you can get carrots with WIC? Since when did they add tuna on to WIC?.... Somehow I don't think they are being very aggressive in encouraging breastfeeding.

*sigh*

I'd feel like a freak going in there, except they love ds's cloth diapers and think its great that I'm nursing him
and the one nutritionist actually knows what seitan is ("wheat meat"--basically it is an awesome protein source for vegetarians that don't eat soy....) :D

[karuna]

We're on WIC, too, started in Maine and now live in Mass (and might be moving soon to NY). I didn't know how much the regulations vary by state. I'm glad to hear that in Hawaii and NC you can substitute soy milk for all that cow's milk they provide. We end up giving it away to friends who drink milk, so I'm hoping the precedent set by NC and Hawaii helps change the other states.

Our office here is supportive of breastfeeding, but there's definitely that sense of "so, you're STILL breastfeeding?" and then when we said we were supplementing a bit at night (because of an illness I have, I cannot be up all night feeding our baby), they seemed pleased and gave us MORE formula per month than we said we needed, as if supporting us supplementing more and more. It is a bit disheartening. When I asked about borrowing a pump, I was just told that the entire Worcester region has like 2 pumps and they were being used currently.

Also, I explained to the office here that I am very ill and bedridden most of the day, and making it to appts would be too hard, so my partner would be going instead. They told me I HAD to come to at least one appt before they could continue our benefits, I guess just to get weighed. I had to use a wheelchair to get there, and then they made me try to stand to get weighed, and it was pretty humiliating.

I have to ask about produce vouchers, not sure if MA provides them. Anyway, it has been helpful for some stuff. We get food stamps, too, so get produce and soymilk that way.

[Selissa]

I am, for the most part content with our wic office here. I think they do the best they can with what they have. The last time i went in the nutrionist complimented me on the fact that ds was still nursing. then i happened to mention that the nutrition surveys were always skewed because they don't ever ask about not anumal product protien sources (except peanut butter) and the coucilor said "oh let me write that down. I'm sure you are not the only one who doesn't eat meat" :D so that was nice. I'm a member of a study group now...so I'm gonna make sure and tell them everything i think is worng with this little set up. lol

[ibahippiemama]

Can I chime in here? I just had our last baby and am now on WIC. Along with the baby and 2 other children. When I lived in N. O. I was on WIC with the first DD. Then I got off to get on a different program. I now live in another parish and I like this office better. They were really helpful when I needed a pump because Max was premature.

They have never asked me to undress myself or my kids. They do the iron test here to check for nutritional defects and also lead poisoning.

We get vouchers. No farmers markets allowed. I'll talk to my councilor about this. I can't ever recall having to suppliment buying formula for my kids. I do B/F. Plan to until he decides to stop. M is on a formula called NeoSure. It has more calories and is for preemies. He gets about 6oz. a day. He does't like the bottle much.

Good Luck with B/F. Keep up the good work.

Angie