Image courtesy of public health maps

Many mothers of newborns make the decision to breastfeed, but some may need or want some help or information beforehand.

LC Clinic Executive Director Hannah Hoyt says that there are a few places that mothers can turn to for the help, like LC Clinic and other entities like it, or hospitals that have a breastfeeding consultant on staff. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that for individuals who might not live near a clinic or hospital, or be able to travel to one, there is another option through Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and shares a story about a family member.

“My niece during Covid had given birth to a baby, and she really, really wanted to nurse her, but she was very nervous being a first time mom. We were kind of in quarantine, and she was unsure about letting anybody come to the house, even me. And so I kind of connected with WIC and one of the nurses, and said, ‘Hey, you know, this is where she lives. This is what county she lives in. Do you have anything available?’ And they were able to send a breastfeeding peer counselor there to help my niece get baby latched on, and that really had made all the success.”

Hoyt mentions that WIC has really stepped up with some of the assistance they provide for mothers and newborns, and one was the addition of breastfeeding peer consultants that women could ask for help from.