Loving support breastfeeding program

Every mom faces breastfeeding challenges. From low milk supply to growth spurts, we have solutions to help get you through. Read More. What stage are you in? Breastfeeding is a journey. There are ups and downs and feelings of accomplishment and frustration.

Explore the Stages of Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding Benefits Breastfeeding gives babies a healthy start—and is good for moms, too. A Loving Support participant receives her first phone call from her personal peer counselor early in pregnancy.

The two continue their discussions by phone throughout her pregnancy and as long as six months after she has given birth. The mother also receives repeated opportunities to meet her Loving Support peer counselor in person during breastfeeding support groups held at her WIC center.

Following USDA's Loving Support guidelines and parameters, the Peer Counselor Program provides specialized breastfeeding education, encouragement and support to pregnant and breastfeeding women and their infants.

Peer Counselors do home visits, telephone consultations, hospital visits, and lead support groups. Peer Counselors also assist participants with breast pump use and provide outreach to hospitals and physicians on breastfeeding services. To improve breastfeeding support, initiation and duration rates, to reduce infant mortality, to improve cognitive abilities and overall long term health benefits of infants and children, and to reduce the incidence of obesity in childhood and later life.

WIC staff refers clients to the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor for ongoing breastfeeding support and education. Peer Counselors improve breastfeeding initiation rates: the breastfeeding initiation rate for women receiving Peer Counselor services was