In the News Meet Your Breastfeeding Goals with WIC

WIC is here to nurture your breastfeeding journey with personalized support designed for you and your family—this #NationalBreastfeedingMonth and beyond!

On Wednesday, August 26, the National WIC Association (NWA) hosted an Instagram Live event on the WIC: You Got This! Instagram page to celebrate National Breastfeeding Month (NBM)! This was an easygoing, conversational way to connect with WIC breastfeeding experts, International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs), and fellow parents who tuned in from across the country. 

Our panelists and moderator included: 

Jessi Gomez, IBCLC, BS, Panelist—Jessi is a current WIC Breastfeeding Program Supervisor for Pinal County Public Health District. For the past eight years, her role has supported the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program and lactation care for participating families. 

She makes desert living with her family and three cats easier by paddleboarding and listening to music. Jessi loves to create spaces for both WIC families and members of the surrounding community because personal success begins with shared knowledge from neighbors and partnerships.

Esther March-Singleton, MBA, RN, BSN, BHS, IBCLC, RLC, Panelist—Esther M. Singleton is a Registered Nurse (RN), International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Certified Lactation Educator™ (CLE), and Childbirth Educator with over 30 years of experience in the childbirth and breastfeeding field. She holds degrees in nursing, specializing in Maternal and Child Health, and in Business and Health Care Administration/Management.

Currently, Esther serves as the Florida Department of Health Broward County WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator, President of the Broward County Breastfeeding Coalition, and Senior Advisor and faculty for the CAPPA CLE© program. She also works as a Perinatal Educator for both a local hospital and a community organization.

In her personal time, Esther is committed to family and community. She enjoys bike riding, spending time with her family, and taking long walks on the beach.

Darlena Birch, MBA, RDN, Moderator—Darlena is responsible for managing NWA’s nutrition and breastfeeding activities. Darlena’s work includes representing the Association on various committees both inside and outside the organization, developing public comments, participating in NWA’s advocacy efforts, and assisting with the review of research and studies related to nutrition and breastfeeding.

Q+A with Our Instagram Live Panelists

Darlena: Can you share a little bit about your connection to WIC?

Jessi shared that her connection to WIC started with being a WIC participant. She has also worked as a breastfeeding peer counselor and is currently a lactation consultant and a breastfeeding program supervisor with WIC.

Esther shared that her connection with WIC is a love connection. Esther works for Broward County WIC in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She first started working with WIC as a trainer-educator contractor, then she joined WIC as the breastfeeding coordinator for the county. She loves the support program and the peer counselors. She shared that she was able to work with them to grow the program so that it was so successful that it received some recognition awards for best practices and standards. 

Darlena: This year's NBM theme is RISE: Resilience, Interdependence, Self-Determination, Empowerment. What does it mean to you to be resilient or empowered in your work with breastfeeding parents?

Jessi shared: “What we see with our families is that every day it takes incredible strength and commitment that our parents have to choose to have that next breastfeeding session and then breastfeed another day … “it’s a commitment that we see every day that they're putting into making sure that their breastfeeding relationship is successful.” 

She also noted that when we choose to engage in the lactation work, we ourselves have to have a little piece of our own resilience and commitment to the work, even just to get through the process of becoming an IBCLC and that certification process itself. She said it also takes that resiliency and that commitment to show up and utilize those credentials for our communities. Jessi shared that she loves to share that knowledge and support and care with her community. 

Esther described her story with breastfeeding beginning after she had her three sons, sharing that she had her own struggles and challenges. Esther became more educated and started to pursue her IBCLC certification so that she could help herself and help others in her community. She had to establish her own resilience because there weren't a lot of people who looked like her when she started breastfeeding, aside from her own mother. She started on her path to spread more knowledge and awareness. Esther shared, “when we're working and working for years in this arena, and you finally see a family that says, I remember you. I got it. You did this for me. And it's like, wow. That's why I was still here. That's, it makes all the difference. And we pass those torches to the next generation.”

Darlena: What tips do you have for breastfeeding parents who are returning to work and want to continue breastfeeding?

Jessi Pumping is hard work! And for the parents going back to work, they're taking another full-time job along with them. This takes serious commitment to that milk removal process to keep things going like clockwork. Jessi said the biggest difference is the advancements in pumping and supplies that are on the market now compared to ten years ago when there were only a handful of options. She encouraged parents to find what works for them by testing the pumps beforehand. At work, she notes that it’s important to make that pumping space fun, cozy,  and soothing. It should be a relaxing place that you look forward to visiting.

Esther agreed with Jessi and added that in Florida, they work with the Florida Breastfeeding Coalition and the United States Breastfeeding Committee. She mentioned how helpful the laws and regulations, like the PUMP Act, are for breastfeeding families. She also loves helping families navigate these protections. 

Esther said families need to know that they have rights and resources. If they need someone to speak on their behalf, help them with HR, or help them with returning to work, they can lean on WIC staff and breastfeeding organizations to help them! She shared that WIC can also help families create a timeline for returning to work or school, sharing that it may be easier to ease into things. Esther encouraged advocates, coordinators, and loved ones to help families along their breastfeeding journey.

Darlena: How can WIC help support parents who are just starting their breastfeeding journey or who are having challenges with latching or breastfeeding? 

Jessi gave a shout-out to WIC staff! She shared that they are always learning through breastfeeding continuing education and training. WIC is here to serve our communities as a knowledgeable support team. Jessi noted that a lot of the time, WIC teams are often the first line of support for breastfeeding support for families. If communities know they can turn to WIC for immediate tips and tricks and initial challenges, it would make the process a little easier. WIC is here for you, and as a WIC participant, you would have access to these resources and tools to support your family! 

Esther agreed. WIC staff is taught to support moms and families right from the beginning with breastfeeding, including support with latching, maintaining breastfeeding, and overcoming hurdles or barriers. WIC has prenatal classes and can connect families with WIC peer counselors—mothers who look like them, work like them, and have gone through challenges like them. WIC is an awesome program that provides a full and continuous support system for families.

Audience Q&A

Question from an audience member: What are some of the most common breastfeeding challenges that you hear about from new parents?

Esther noted:

• “I noticed early on that moms doubt their ability. And if they have someone in their corner or their squad or their family who questions them and that seed of doubt, then they begin to say, well, I can't do it and I'm not making enough milk. I notice a lot of that uncertainty that moms have. So, preparing them ahead of time and the expectations of what to expect and how to get through those early days is very important!”
• “I noticed throughout my tenure of doing this that it usually is about two to fourteen days, about two weeks, when I see moms start feeling confident that I almost got this!”
• “They start taking that breath, and they're like, okay, I realize when the baby now wants to eat, I realize I'm waiting for those signs, I'm realizing my breast changing and diapers. So it takes that timeline for them and helps them to understand that. It helps them build that confidence that they are and they can do this.”

Jessi shared:

• “From new parents, I definitely have the uncertainty of milk production. That is probably our number one misconception of when breast milk starts to be established, when that mature milk is transitioning, and maybe even missing that window of colostrum and the importance of colostrum.”
• “Being able to share information, prenatal education, and prep moms and parents for that initial first couple of days has been so impactful for getting them ahead of the curve and getting them prepared to understand what their body's about to endure after birth and what those changes are going to look like and what's realistic and what's not realistic.”
• “And it really is great, like Esther shared, to be able to provide prenatal breastfeeding education classes, and really honing in on how important those first three days are to get to that point where they want to be, which is abundant milk production.”

Watch and share the post-event Instagram reels and follow us to stay tuned for future events!

Follow us (@WICYouGotThis!) on Instagram to watch the full recording of this year’s #NationalBreastfeedingMonth Instagram Live and the audience Q+A! 

Author

Mariah Cowsert

Mariah Cowsert is a Senior Communications Associate at the National WIC Association. She has 9 years of experience in public health communications, with her work ranging from direct social service and affordable housing organizations in DC and her home state of Michigan to supporting sexual and reproductive health education initiatives at a national nonprofit in Baltimore. As someone who grew up in a low-income household in rural Michigan, she knows firsthand that when families have access to quality, healthy foods regardless of their income or zip code, they can not only survive but thrive.