From left, breastfeeding peer counselors Trovesha Stanley, Brooke Mason, Shelly Irby, Heather Dickey, Angela McAtee and Amanda Lemley.

Breastfeeding is one of the most highly effective preventive measures a mother can take to protect the health of her infant. To aid mothers in that effort, the North Central Health District's Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program recently began offering a new service, the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program.

 

The program provides mother-to-mother support to encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies and is available in each of the district's 13-county health departments. There are six peer counselors, all of whom are also breastfeeding. The peer counselors will be introduced to expectant mothers as they come into the clinic for services and educate them about the benefits of breastfeeding, help initiate breastfeeding and help mothers continue for at least 6 to 12 months. The peer counselors will also help to eliminate barriers or embarrassments new mothers may experience while breastfeeding. A breastfeeding pump will be provided to mothers after they have breastfed for at least one month.

  

The peer counselors are currently in the orientation and training phase but will begin to meet with expectant mothers soon. Peer counselors participate in special training that helps them go beyond their own experiences and give other mothers help and advice based on current research and knowledge from experts.

  

"We are champions for making sure every mom is aware about breastfeeding and that it is the best thing to do. We want everyone to be knowledgeable about breastfeeding," said Kenya McCant, WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program supervisor. "Every woman needs to know about the benefits of breastfeeding and know that the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program is a resource for mothers."

Breastfeeding is beneficial to mothers because it helps them have a faster recovery from pregnancy and is also convenient. Breast milk is always the right temperature and is the correct amount for a baby. Breastfeeding is also a great way for mothers to bond with their babies. Research indicates that women who breastfeed may have lower rates of certain ovarian, cervical and breast cancers.

The benefits for breastfed babies is that they usually get sick less often because breast milk is easy to digest and contains the right amount of nutrients from the mother that helps boost their immune system. Breast milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water and protein for a baby's growth and development.Studies show that breastfed babies often have a higher IQ and it could reduce the risk for obesity later on in their adult life.

The Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program is part of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which offers nutritional education and support for eligible moms and children. To be able to be enrolled in the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program, individuals have to be a WIC participant. However, breastfeeding support and education is available to everyone, not just WIC-eligible clients.For more information about the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program, call 478-329-4751. To learn more about the WIC Program, visit www.northcentralhealthdistrict.com/wic.
 

-Story by Tamalyn Roebuck, Communications Specialist, North Central Health District 5-2