Medicaid & WIC Recipients Less Likely to Breastfeed... WHY??

[annaica]

 http://www.cdc.gov/prams/DATA-Breastfeeding.htm

The prevalence of breastfeeding initiation was lowest by age among women less than 20 years old, lowest by race/ethnicity among black women, and significantly lower among women who received Medicaid and those who participated in WIC than among those who did not ( Table 3).

 

http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/fundingandprogramdata/WIC-BFdata-localagencyreport.pdf

(page 3)

Highlights of the FY 2010 WIC Breastfeeding Data:

• An average of 2.17 million infants participated in the WIC Program.

• Approximately 26.7 % of infants were breastfed (10.3 % were fully breastfed and 16.4% were partially breastfed).

 

 

So why are the numbers SO low for those that are low income do you think?  Breastfeeding is thousands of dollars cheaper than using formula.  Is it the lack of support provided by state health agencies?

Chart from: http://www.kidsource.com/maternal.conn/cost.feeding.html

[JoyfulMommy1221]

Some WIC offices around the country are very pro bfing. My friend in CA has to prove she at least tried before they'll give her formula. Here in MI, they ask you what your choice is. They are willing to give support, like talking to a peer or lactation consultant, which is nice. I also got regular food instead of baby food because I bfd. Which was nice since I made my own baby food.

But I really think the big thing is that people who are on wic tend to be more uneducated than those who don't qualify for wic. They see babies with bottles ALL the time. And besides "closer than ever to breastmilk" right? (Joke! Seriously there is no comparison)

[MommeeTo4]

I received WIC about 6 years ago, I was bf my dd and they were trying to push formula supplement on me bc she was small for thier charts they wanted me to supplement with formula with rice cereal in it. I refused and quit going, and continued bf until dd turned 1.5 and quit on her own.

[krbooth]

That's crazy, I'm on WIC and Medicaid, "low income" and exclusively breastfeed. My WIC office supports breastfeeding 100% but also asked what my choice was. It's sad that that's how it is.

[Melame68]

The wic I go to is very pro bfing. The encourage and push it. They have lc and classes for free. You get free shirts, and they post pictures of your milestones..etc I like it. I know with my older kids, when I was surrounded by others with babies..it was the "in" thing to do to ff.

[annaica]

 That is awesome :)  I have used WIC in the past and of the 3 offices I went to, nobody ever seemed particularly interested in the fact that I was breastfeeding.  They just did their jobs and that was it... I don't think promoting breastfeeding was something they were interested in, unfortunately.

Quoting Melame68:

The wic I go to is very pro bfing. The encourage and push it. They have lc and classes for free. You get free shirts, and they post pictures of your milestones..etc I like it. I know with my older kids, when I was surrounded by others with babies..it was the "in" thing to do to ff.

 

[annaica]

 Here's more info I just found from http://www.naba-breastfeeding.org/medicaid.htm

Poor Medicaid coverage for lactation care and services, continued

The Kaiser Family Foundation and the George Washington University, School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy, conducted a survey to assess each state’s Medicaid coverage policies regarding reproductive health services. Their findings showed that despite the recognition of the importance of breastfeeding in improving women’s and infant's health, coverage of breastfeeding support services for low-income women is dismal. Twenty-five of the responding states cover breastfeeding education services, 15 states cover individual lactation consultations and 31 states cover equipment rentals, such as pumps. Alabama, DC, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia do not cover any of these breastfeeding support services. This staggering disparity contributes to the reduced rates of breastfeeding seen in low income populations, increasing the risk of poor health outcomes for mothers and infants who cannot afford to pay for lactation services.

Advocates may wish to contact their state Medicaid provider and open a dialogue for improved lactation coverage. Better health outcomes translate to fewer health care dollars being spent on diseases and conditions for which breastfeeding has been shown to be preventive. Download a summary here of research articles showing improved outcomes when mothers experience support provided by a lactation consultant.

The full report, "State Medicaid Coverage of Perinatal Services: Summary of State Survey Findings November 2009" is available from http://www.kff.org/womenshealth/upload/8014.pdf. Members may wish to contact their state Medicaid offices and begin a dialogue for improving coverage of lactation care and services

[sreichelt26]

Because they can get formula for fre. I actually had a conversation with someone and she said, "Ya, I bf my son for about 9 months and then started weaning. It was really hard for me and I new I'd at least given him all the immunities the first 6 months. Plus, I knew we'd get free formula from WIC..."

[justinnaimee]

Why breastfeed if you can get formula free? Then you can make daddy or grandma do the night feedings.

[LeeLee375]

I assume it's related to education level. Not that I'm insulting anyone on WIC, because I am too. But WIC is related to income level, and income level correlates to education level. Right?

I think that education should be mandatory for WIC recipients. I really believe if mothers understood all the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding, and had more support (like other posters who said their WIC office has LCs) that there would be a higher rate of breastfeeding.

Maybe this study will prompt WIC offices to require more of an emphasis on educating new and soon-to-be moms.

[mommy2bRN007]

My wic is very pro bfing they recently gave me an awesome pump so I can go back to work. They only give a few cabs of formula if you ff. and if you bf they give soooooo much more baby food. Kinda like an incentive to bf.