Texas WIC – Breastmilk Counts!

In sharp contrast to my last post, the WIC program in Texas has created a beautiful, informative resource for breastfeeding moms: Breastmilk Counts.

Check out the 30-second TV spot near the bottom of the campaign page.

It shows moms breastfeeding and details a ton of benefits associated with breastfeeding your baby. It tells you to imagine the benefits of continuing for 6 to 12 months, helping to dispel the myth that you should wean early. It’s extremely tastefully done and I loved watching it. (Wesley did too, and giggled and pointed happily when the baby was “eating milks.”)

They have a great article on learning to nurse in public. I like that they note that several options are for your privacy while reiterating the Texas law that you are allowed to nurse anywhere you are already allowed to be yourself. This helps give confidence to mothers that might be worried they are being “indecent.” The website also offers a handy printable card (upper right) so if you do have a confrontation, you can show them the statues that support you. Awesome!

They have a whole section on returning to work, offering tips on how to talk to your employer and suggesting places to pump. (For what it’s worth, I pumped in a tiny conference room, and my employer agreed to install blinds on the windows to make sure it was a private place for me.) There’s also a page on how to build your freezer stash before you go back to work! This site left me feeling like they’d thought of everything.

It makes me so happy to see such a well-rounded website about breastfeeding, especially since it’s from the WIC program! WIC spends tons of money annually providing free or low-cost formula to participants, and would save so much money if they encouraged more mothers to breastfeed. I think this website is a huge step in the right direction, and I would love to see more of this sort of thing on a federal level.

File Under: Breastfeeding and Pumping, General

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