Research has shown that there is no better food than breast milk for a baby's first year of life. Breastfeeding provides many health, nutritional, economical and emotional benefits to mother and baby. Since a major goal of the WIC Program is to improve the nutritional status of infants, WIC mothers are encouraged to breastfeed their infants. WIC has historically promoted breastfeeding to all pregnant women as the optimal infant feeding choice, unless medically contraindicated.

• WIC mothers choosing to breastfeed are provided information through counseling and breastfeeding educational materials.
• Breastfeeding mothers receive follow-up support through peer counselors.
  
• Breastfeeding mothers are eligible to participate in WIC longer than non-breastfeeding mothers.
  
• Mothers who exclusively breastfeed their infants receive an enhanced food package.
  
• Breastfeeding mothers can receive breast pumps, breast shells or nursing supplementers to help support the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding.

Breast is Best

“How should I feed my baby?” “What should I feed my baby?” “Is breast milk really better than formula?” These are some of the questions that pregnant women and their families ask as they prepare for the arrival of their new infant.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advocate breastfeeding as the optimal form of nutrition for infants. “Human milk is uniquely superior for infant feeding and is species specific”. This means that the milk that the mother produces is specific for her infant. It does not matter if the infant is full term or premature, the milk that the mother provides is specific to what the infant needs.

Breast milk contains living cells, antibodies, enzymes and many germ fighting proteins that new infants need to protect against illness and for proper digestion. Research in the United States and Canada has shown that human milk and breastfeeding of infants provides significant advantages concerning health, growth and development – lower risk of respiratory infections, fewer ear infections, reduced risk of developing allergies and asthma, less diarrhea and constipation, even a potential effect against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). There are also studies that suggest possible health benefits for the mother – lower risk of developing pre-menopausal cancer, more rapid return of the uterus to its pre-pregnancy state, weight loss in addition to the formation of the very special bond between mother and baby.

The message from the Pennsylvania Department of Health is -- “Breast milk is your baby’s first immunization and the longer you breastfeed (one year is best) the more protection you baby will receive. Formula cannot do what mom can do for her own child. Give your baby the gift of health that only YOU can give.” For more information about breast milk and breastfeeding, contact at NORTH, Inc. 1-800-743-3300 or www.northwic.org