The studies show an increase in breastfeeding rates among WIC participants in the past 2 decades, including an increased access to supports. However additional research is needed to understand universal breastfeeding indicators.
The article supports taking multiple measures to support breastfeeding in the WIC population, including food package incentives, counselors, and extended incentives if the mother continues to breastfeed
WIC Nutritionists in Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale counties have positive attitudes toward breastfeeding and provide support for mothers seeking it in the form of education and resources early in pregnancy. Each clinic should have the opportunity to determine the key barriers to breastfeeding in their clinic population and find evidence-based interventions that will best serve their clients.
WIC participation is associated with an increase in breastfeeding initiation among black mothers by nearly 7%, with no statistically significant effect among white mothers.
When asked about factors that were important or very important to the decision to breastfeed for more than 12 months, women in both health care provider groups identified similar leading factors as being important or very important, except the alternative health care provider group was less likely to indicate that their family’s recommendations or Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) support were important.
These results demonstrate the utility of the HAPA model in predicting exclusive breastfeeding behavior among low-income women attending WIC. LATCH is a theoretically sound text messaging intervention that can be used to augment and reinforce the WIC breastfeeding peer counseling process.
After adjusting for potential confounders, married women who had a repeat C-section were 2.2 times more likely to never breastfeed compared to women with vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC).