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January 2011 Moms
wic & breastfeeding
first off does anybody get wic? I didn't realize how much I'd be getting, I mean I make okay money so I thought I'd get the worst package but I actually get a lot especially if I breastfeed (which I intend to).
But the nutrtionist I saw gave me some really good advice, I thought I'd pump and that would be the same as actually breast feeding but apparently its really not. So I'm thinking I'll do that until I go back to work then pump for while I'm gone. I didn't realize how good breastfeeding was (very new to this mom thing lol) and how it even can make the baby sleep better and fight off SO many things.
haha sorry for the rant, I just was really interested when we were talking about all of that. It's pretty amazing.
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Re: wic & breastfeeding
I just looked at the guidelines and I dont even come close to being eligible for anything through WIC. It was a nice thought though...
And can you be more specific about the differences between BF and pumping, I also assumed they'd be the same.
We are part of the WIC program, my daughter has a sever milk allergy and they help cover the cost of her soy milk which is $5/half gallon. It's nice since she drinks about 6 gallons a month.
In the start when I was just BFing we got milk each month, then when her issues started and we started supplimenting we got milk & 3 cans of forumla a month. Then we discovered the issue and had to switch to full formula and I think we got 8 cans a month or something. We don't take the other stuff because to be honest we don't need it and I'm not going to get it just because.
I know a lot of ladies who are exclusive pumpers. They have great output and I don't see how it's any differant since a child is still getting the breast milk. Of the mothers I know that do this they either are the bread winners and travel a lot for work so it's the only way to get breast milk to their child when home with dad OR they had breast reduction surgery and I am not sure as to why their specific reason is.
This. I'm also interested in the diffence as I'm not sure how that can be.
The nutritionist told me there's a big difference.
They say you will get more output by actually breastfeeding vs pumping but I know ladies who do a combo of both or EP and get HUGE amounts of milk, like 8oz at a time!
You have to do what's best for you. While a great program WIC really is probreast and will push that as much as they can. People have to decide what works best for them though.
Pumping is way more work. I had to do it for the first four weeks before I got Neriah on the breast. It's the worst. And yes, it can mess with your supply because a baby is more efficient than a pump. A lot of women who try to EP end up drying up way before they were hoping to. I don't know an EPer who would choose to EP if they could BF. It's so hard and time consuming.
this! Is basically what I was trying to say lol thank you!
and I also found this:
-- exclusive pumping is HARD work; you will need to pump whenever baby would eat, eg -- throughout the night -- and likely more frequently at first to build your supply, since no pump works as well as a baby
-- breast milk changes throughout the day and throughout a feeding; it has wonderful things like sleep-inducing hormones at night; it's watery and thirst-quenching at the start of a feed and a fatty dessert by the end...
-- sucking at the breast is good for babies' jaw/facial development in ways sucking at bottles are not
-- you will be much more likely to wean prematurely, to end up supplementing with formula
this! Is basically what I was trying to say lol thank you!
and I also found this:
-- exclusive pumping is HARD work; you will need to pump whenever baby would eat, eg -- throughout the night -- and likely more frequently at first to build your supply, since no pump works as well as a baby
-- breast milk changes throughout the day and throughout a feeding; it has wonderful things like sleep-inducing hormones at night; it's watery and thirst-quenching at the start of a feed and a fatty dessert by the end...
-- sucking at the breast is good for babies' jaw/facial development in ways sucking at bottles are not
-- you will be much more likely to wean prematurely, to end up supplementing with formula
Yeah I know which is why I'm going to breast feed as long as I can. I'm only 19 years old my income is okay for my age but pretty limited and I'm not married so I'm glad they have these programs for people like me who don't abuse them.
Hrm, I cant say I agree with that reasoning. Our country will spend $888 BILLION this year on public assistance. If people weren't allowed to use public assistance even if they're not "abusing" it (or use it in extreme circumstances like death of a spouse, medical catastrophe, etc) I think people would make better choices and be more responsible. I'm sure there are plenty of people like you who will only be on it temporarily, but for every case like you I'm sure there's 5 of people acting irresponsibly. A friend of mine has a child, and purposely got pregnant again while she was still on WIC!! It just helps people be irresponsible and make bad choices. Of course, there's no solution since we can't let innocent children suffer, but in a perfect world people would have to pay their own way. I'm not criticizing you specifically, just making a generalization.
Of course having the baby on the breast will produce more milk than a machine ever will. That being said, exclusively breast feeding is a ton of work and will mess with your supply if you are not careful. When DD was 4 months old, she started refusing the breast and wanted just the bottle. I saw a pretty big dip in my supply. I had to pump every 2-3 hours from when I woke up to when I went to bed and I had to take suppliments to keep my supply up. If I missed a session, my milk supply suffered.
When she was 7 months old, I started to suppliment one formula bottle a day.
It is not as easy as one thinks. If you can breast feed and not use WIC, more power to you.
Emily 8.8.08
Madeline 1.2.11
William 8.5.12
There are only a few who use it correctly.... not a few who abuse it sorry.
but its a great thing for people who ARE working!
So true. And even for those who aren't "technically" abusing it (like my friend who purposely conceived a 2nd child while still on public assistance), it promotes an irresponsible lifestyle. If she wasn't offered the option of getting WIC and such, do you think she would have gone off BC to have a 2nd child she can't afford? Probably not.
I can relate to your situation completely. My daughter started to lose interest in breast feeding at about 7 months. Luckily I had enough stash of breast milk saved in the freezer that I didnt have to switch to formula until awhile later. I continued to pump as much as I could, but I did eventually lose supply. When we switched over to formula it was torture, she was constipated for a couple weeks until her body got used to the formula. I am so glad I breast fed, but I'm also glad I had that pump around and used that as well. I worked out of the home, so using the pump and bottle feeding while I was at work was the only option we could do. I felt guilty for not breastfeeding longer, but I didnt have a choice.
I don't use WIC but through my job as a children's librarian I do work with our WIC office in a couple collaborative efforts for the community. They seem like a great organization. I will say that while I think that it is important for new mothers to know the benefits of breastfeeding, I also hope the organization is not making people feel bad for having to make the choice to pump or use formula. There are some things that mothers wish they could do, but can't.
We used WIC for about 9 months with our last kid. I intended to BF and after doing it succesful with my older two I expected it to be no problem. We both ended up having problems and he was only able to BF exclsivly for about 3 weeks. We had to use a specialty formula.
About 3 months before baby was born my husbands disabled father came to live with us.It was very unexpected.We were trying to adjust not only to the added expence of a new baby but a non-working adult with health issues...we were straped.WIC was a life saver at that time. We will only use it again if we find our self absolutly needing it,other wise we will make due.
I don't know if this was towards me or not but I have dealings everyday with the WIC/welfare/food stamps and every other gov't hand out everyday. And its very few and far between that you find someone using the system correctly. OP I'm sure you are using it correctly. I'm just stating the simple fact 80% of the people abuse the system and something should be done about it. Plain and simple
So what do YOU think makes up the welfare demographic? You really think that most of the people who collect welfare are financially responsible people who just happened to hit a rough patch and need assistance for a short period of time? I hate to tell you, but that's not the case. A PP mentioned she worked in welfare, and I've worked around public assistance as well. My friend is the epitome of the "average" welfare recipient.
Those are my statistics and the people I deal with. i don't know what the statistic is on an actual % . This is who i deal with and have seen the same in the 5 counties I work with.
Believe it or not be we actually check up on people. When they say things we try to follow through to make sure they are truly looking for a job and not lying. And 80% of the time they have never turned in an application so obviously they keep getting their hand out. I will admit I deal with a lot of trash ( aka drug users ) so that could be why the numbers are the way they are.
Like I said I think the program is here to help but people need to stop abusing it.
I bleed red..might be why we can't see eye to eye lol
And you are right its hard when you deal with these people everyday who have no respect for a little help. Whats the old saying you give someone an inch and they take a mile. That's what I deal with everyday. These women who come in carrying coach purses, driving a better car than me,talking on their i phone. Yet they cry to me that they don't have a job, they are a single parent ( usually pregnant with their 2nd or 3rd), and so on. ( mind you not as I watch them show me their ID i see their food stamp card and everything else) it just gets old. People who TRULY need it, who are working. I have no problem with this I truly don't just the ones that piss me off at work I do lol
I think WIC and other programs are great for people who need them. I agree there are abuses of "the system," but I won't go there.
I do not feel like I make a ton of money and it will be a struggle for us when the baby comes, however we do not qualify. Therefore, in order for my husband and I to not starve I have to go back to work. I will have to pump.
I don't like that people try and make me or other working moms feel like bad or less than mothers because we cannot EBF. This whole conversation and overtones are just rubbing me the wrong way.
Jenny McCarthy = Former Playmate and MTV host
Pediatrician = Doctor with extensive experience and education on children.
Bumpies = Don't get me started!
I know who I get my health advice from!
What are you looking at?
I'm with kbuns on all of this. LissyDee what do you do in health care? I worked in a hospital for a long time and I saw so much abuse of not only the "if you go to the ER you have to be treated" law, but also Medi-Cal and MSI (The social health programs in CA). We would have people that would come in on a daily basis using (quite obviously) someone else's ID and medi-cal card, or people who would refuse to give us any information about them except their first name and then would leave the ER without even inquireing about their bill. How is that okay? And who do you think ended up paying for that? The government does not need to be involved in hand out programs. These same programs can be funded and run by private organizations and will be run MUCH better. I think that most of the people that are abusing these systems do not understand that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Just because you aren't paying for it doesn't mean that someone else isn't. It is one thing for people to give to charities, and make decisions on what charities to give to based on those organizations good doings and records, it is another entirely to be forced to give (through taxes) to charities that are horribly run through the government.
BTW getting back to the breastfeeding thing, the other major benefit to breast feeding vs. pumping is that when an infant latches on to the breast any "germs" the infant has in it's system gets transfered to the mother. In response the mother's body makes anti-bodies that help the baby fight off diseases. The baby then gets those anti-boties through the mother's milk at a later feeding.
I didn't mean people on the board per se trying to make working moms feel bad. I think I used "people" too globally. My frustration is that WIC is counseling that there's a disadvantage to pumping -- which could be true -- but having to work is a reality. Whatever the intention, I think this causes certain segements to look down upon other segments of the mom population!
Funny advice I got from a friend who has two kids. She said the only plan you can make when having a baby is to not have a plan at all! They end up determining how everything works out!
Jenny McCarthy = Former Playmate and MTV host
Pediatrician = Doctor with extensive experience and education on children.
Bumpies = Don't get me started!
I know who I get my health advice from!
What are you looking at?
Sorry, I think things come across harsher online then they are ment. I got that you weren't okay with the abuse, I was just interested to see if what you had encountered was similar to what I had seen.
I think my biggest point is there are better ways of dealing with the problem's of getting people in need help than what the government has set up right now.
*edit* Also I wasn't referring to people in real need of emergency care, I am talking about the people who would come to the ER for a head cold or a yearly check up (saw a lot of this).
Wayy late to what looked to be an interesting party but I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in to the OP.
Since you are going back to work and will be pumping and using a bottle while you're working, I wanted to share the advice I was given, since I will be in the same boat as you (this advice was from both a lactation consultant and a pedi).
After each feeding at the breast, pump for a few minutes to see if you can express anything else. This helps build your supply and helps you stock the freezer with pumped milk for your return to work. Once breastfeeding is well established (around 4-6 weeks) begin pumping for one feeding a day (and continue with pumping after each breastfeeding) and have someone other than you (Grandma, Cousin, Daddy, Friend) provide one feeding a day with a bottle.
Apparently you can wait too long to introduce the bottle, and by introducing it around 4-6 weeks for 1 feeding a day, the baby will be able to transition easily between the breast (with you) and the bottle (someone other than you....read: daycare).
This is my first baby too, so I'm no expert but I trust the advice of the 2 people who gave it to me. Any mom's with experience want to weigh in?
Ya, that sounds good, but you don't want to start pumping at all for about the first four weeks (if possible) to establish your initial supply. Oversuppy is not a good thing, and can cause some issues for the baby (I dealt with it... it sucked). After you establish your supply, it's pretty safe to start pumping.