Overcoming Social Barriers: Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding in the WIC Program

Breastfeeding promotion and support has been and continues to be an integral component of the WIC Program. The purpose of the WIC Program is to provide nutritious foods, nutrition education, and referrals to health care and other social services to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, and infant and children who are at nutrition risk. The mission of the WIC Program is to improve the nutritional well-being and health of participants, therefore WIC promotes breastfeeding to all pregnant women, unless medically contraindicated. Over the years, WIC has made many accomplishments in promoting and supporting breastfeeding. Recent federal breastfeeding initiatives implemented by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) fall in line with USDA's national breastfeeding promotion campaign for WIC participants and their families, Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work. Among the various breastfeeding initiatives FNS is currently implementing that provide training, technical assistance and educational resources to WIC State agencies, several unprecedented initiatives have recently been employed which build upon WIC's longstanding efforts to promote breastfeeding and make significant gains towards establishing WIC as a “breastfeeding promotion” program. Additionally, research is underway to examine the implementation and impact of peer counseling in the WIC Program as well as the effect of the new WIC food packages on breastfeeding outcomes for WIC participants across the country. This session includes an overview of breastfeeding promotion and support in the WIC Program, a description of recent FNS breastfeeding initiatives, and information about WIC breastfeeding research conducted across the nation.