On Fb - Your baby won't starve w/o WIC whip out the boobs

[PennySycamore]

What happens when gods "gift" malfunctions? My mom tried to breast feed me but I wasn't getting enough milk that way. We were not Ina position where we needed WIC, but if we were, should I have been forced to starve to death just because my mom couldn't feed me?

I mentioned that I am a lay counselor with a national breastfeeding organization. My girls were all breastfed although my premie, Katharine, was never totally breastfed unless you count that one day in the NICU when they went through an entire month's worth of pumped milk. (My milk supply was terrible!) I needed formula for Katherine. What's more is that NONE of my grandchildren have been totally breastfed. My oldest had a massively screwed up suck due to her birth (csec and vacuum suction) plus my daughter had really messed up milk supply because she had a bit of retained placenta. Another daughter had a c-section and flat nipples and a husband was less than supportive of her efforts to nurse. My other granddaughter is adopted. Some moms do breastfeed adopted babies, but my little granddaughter was adopted when she was 2 and a bit. The kids are all healthy and well-adjusted.

[Adrienne83]

I was breastfed for the first 6 months. Unfortunately, I was born with both of my hips dislocated. When it became clear that I was going to need surgery, my mom switched me to formula because, as she put it, "I wasn't going to try to breastfeed you while you were in traction."

If you don't mine me asking, was it because you were breech? My son's pediatrician actually told me that if he needed his hip surgery that I would have to stop breastfeeding because it would be almost impossible to do so. Thankfully he didn't need it, but what if he did? You guys should starve? Unless you both would pray for falling milk from the sky instead of formula. :pray:

[mlady]

This always comes up when someone things they have a brilliant, NEW, idea that nobody ever thought up before. I won't even comment on the choice or whys/why not's of breastfeeding, I just clicked to get a quick peek and this is the comment that caught my eye:

To the people saying crackmoms cant breastfed well they never should have become moms. I breastfed my daughter i am 23 and she is 4 now. We get no government help at all. I am divorced from her dad who has disappeared and offers no help. But i work. I work hard for many long hours and have my daughter in a private Christian daycare where they pray and recite the pledge of allegiance daily.

Love the part about the daycare, prayer and pledge. Gotta back up every decision with a the "right" reasons so people don't turn their wrath on you becasue daycare!

[YPestis]

The facebook comment is obviously written by someone who is very ignorant of the issues surrounding breastfeeding (and probably WIC). Yes, breastfeeding is "natural" and is better than formula but not everyone is fortunate enough to breastfeed. I was born in China before infant formula was introduced into the country. My mother was unable to breastfeed, so the only alternative at that time was cow's milk. Yes, I was fed on cow's milk until I took solids. And I was considered "lucky" as we lived in a major city which had access to a milk production facility. My grandmother was also unable to breastfeed my father and fed him rice gruel (a thick liquid made from boiling rice into a pulpy substance). It appalls Americans when we mention it, but that's what happens when mother's milk is the only source of food for babies.

There are so many reasons why women can't breastfeed. Medical reasons are obvious and touch far more women than most people realize. However, if you are taking WIC, there's a chance that mother's paycheck is also important to the family. And frankly, if you are earning a low enough salary to qualify for WIC, then there's a higher than average chance that your work place doesn't offer nice bennies like lactation rooms, or money to pay for a breast pump. Then what happens?

I even had a friend who was very pro-breastfeeding and then finds out that her child required elemental formula. Suddenly, she had to curve out a budget for his every expensive formula. Yes, you can have everything going for you: SAHM, breastmilk aplenty, pro-breastfeeding attitude; and still require formula.

As others pointed out, there's also the issue that WIC was meant to include all children under age 5 and breastfeeding moms. I guess if Congress wants to save a few pennies, they could start a campaign to extend breastfeeding for poor children until age 5.....then the facebook poster may have a point about breastmilk saving us WIC money........

[Mama Mia]

An FYI, WIC can provide really high quality electric pumps if the mother is going to work or school. And breastfeeding pumps are now covered by insurance under the ACA.

[formergothardite]

I wonder how many women who qualify for WIC have jobs that will allow them time for pumping.

[August]

If you don't mine me asking, was it because you were breech? My son's pediatrician actually told me that if he needed his hip surgery that I would have to stop breastfeeding because it would be almost impossible to do so. Thankfully he didn't need it, but what if he did? You guys should starve? Unless you both would pray for falling milk from the sky instead of formula. :pray:

Adrienne, these days there are pumps which you could use to pump your milk for him.

[August]

I wonder how many women who qualify for WIC have jobs that will allow them time for pumping.

Or could afford the pump, which is normally provided by WIC, along with the extra food for the mother.

[BalconySmoker]

When I was on WIC with my son, I worked 12 hour days, 6 days a week in a slaughterhouse.

I mean sure, they legally HAD to give me time to pump milk at work. But where in the hell was I supposed to do it? The bathrooms? The locker rooms? Literally every surface of that place was covered in a thin layer of blood. The cafeteria wasn't visibly dirty, but we all went in there to eat in our work attire with guts on our boots and our knives and gloves attached to our belts. It probably wasn't much cleaner, despite looking cleaner. We (production staff) weren't allowed in the administrative offices in our work clothing, because we were not sanitary after working on the kill floor. There just wasn't a realistic (or safe) place to pump.

Life just doesn't make our best intentions plausible sometimes. I met a lot of other moms through WIC and their stories were very informative. The majority of women on formula at WIC were women like me who had jobs that made pumping complicated. I knew several waitresses who were like "yeah, my boss will give me all the time I need to pump...but how am I supposed to make money if i'm leaving my shift every 3 hours for 25 minutes?" I knew more who worked at fast food places where they would have to clock out every time they went to pump, and thus would lose their lunch break or even their fulltime status because they weren't working 8 hour shifts.

Then there were the bosses who just refused to let the women pump at all. I mean yeah, it's illegal. But what are these women supposed to do? Sue? THEY HAD NO MONEY. How were they supposed to get a lawyer? They could complain, and lose their jobs. So they would just keep their mouths shut so they had a job that paid the rent.

There is just too much guilting and shaming of women and their choices. It doesn't matter what women do, somebody is gonna find a reason to bitch and complain. If women breastfeed, then they get grief about covering up or doing it for "too long". If they don't breastfeed, then they get grief about not caring for their babies or being "lazy".

Not to mention, WIC has helped low-income women breastfeed when they might not have tried before. Which seems to be the point those dicks on facebook are missing. Take away WIC, and you would probably see a drop in breastfeeding among low-income women.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

I wonder how many women who qualify for WIC have jobs that will allow them time for pumping.

Some states require workplaces to provide time and a place to pump.

[yarabess]

I too am one of those babies that was apparently just supposed to starve, mom tried to BF me. She just couldn't produce enough to keep me gaining weight like I was supposed to. So I was supplemented with formula. Because of some allergies and digestive issues (some of which I still have) I had to have special formula, which was more expensive than my parents, both college educated with good jobs could afford. Even though I am not a parent and typically stay away from stories like this...it drives me crazy. I am happy that these people have never experienced the kind of challenges my mom and so many others have. I would never wish that on anyone, but life doesn't always go the way people plan or want it to.

[GeoBQn]

If you don't mine me asking, was it because you were breech? My son's pediatrician actually told me that if he needed his hip surgery that I would have to stop breastfeeding because it would be almost impossible to do so. Thankfully he didn't need it, but what if he did? You guys should starve? Unless you both would pray for falling milk from the sky instead of formula. :pray:

No, I wasn't breech. (I also wasn't a boy or a firstborn, both of which are supposed to be risk factors). I had extremely loose ligaments in my hips, and my right hip socket wasn't completely formed.

[Burpies]

Barack Obama's Dead Fly · 199,500 like this

22 hours ago ·

On people who keep saying they need to buy baby formula or their babies will starve to death. On a personal note here, I never ever once bought baby formula. God provided me with a gift, as he does with all mothers that doesn't cost a penny. It is called breasts and they provide your baby with all the nutrition that is needed except for Vitamin D, which you can get with another free thing called the sun. I keep wondering why no one has pointed that fact out. Some people might be vitamin deficient, but it is rare. JMc

https://www.facebook.com/barackobamasde ... 7167897740

the comments are just to damn much. Theya re even attacking the people that are trying to defend none breast feeder.

Oh, gee. I guess my breasts were just slackers and didn't want to produce enough milk for my kids, despite me taking every galactagogue under the sun and pumping 1000 times a day. Right.

[PennySycamore]

Some states require workplaces to provide time and a place to pump.

So does the US federal Department of Labor. I forget all the criteria, but I do know that mothers have to be provided reasonable pump breaks (2 or 3) every work day and a clean, private place to pump which CANNOT be the bathroom. This law might apply to only workplaces covered by the fair labor laws, in other words, not small workplaces. I think I'm right about this.

GeoBQn, one of my old co-Leaders in LLL had a baby with dislocated hips and she continued to breastfeed with her baby in cast. She leaned over the crib to nurse the baby. That just makes my back hurt! My sister, on the other hand, had a baby with the same condition. I do wonder how many of my sister's difficulties with nursing were due to David's dislocated hips. I do know that David was a much happier baby once his hips were in a brace.

[fun2beme]

I'm not sure how broadly this applies, but some workplaces can be grandfathered. I work for the Federal gov't and we were in the process of transitioning our office to a newly-constructed non-Fed building. Blueprints were complete and construction well underway when the BF law came out. We were grandfathered because the work started prior to enactment. We reserved a private office for BF as a courtesy but weren't required to do so.

Just a note about a Fed agency moving to a newly-constructed building - I work in a "transitional" area in DC, with a strip joint and probation center around one corner, and a Starbucks three blocks away. Lots of homeless people and muggings at night. So this wasn't a move to a high-rent, upscale neighborhood. :)

[Mama Mia]

I wonder how many women who qualify for WIC have jobs that will allow them time for pumping.

WIC income limits actually go relatively high. I know several office workers who have used WIC. It is also a requirement to provide a 30 minute break in an 8 hour shift ( think that's federal, but could be state ). I believe there also regulations now regarding providing lactation facilities if you work for a large employer ( also not sure if that's state or federal) . Of course employers always find ways around complying, but they are at least starting to try to make things more manageable for moms who are trying to work and breastfeeding.

Eta: oops should have read all the responses first.

[Diana]

I didnt realize the meaning of WIC when i readed the post i just assumed it was the name of baby formula there...ofcourse every baby should have acces to free babyformula if their mother cant breastfeed them.

What i find truly sad is to hear so much women saying i dont have milk, my boobs are too big or my niples are wrong, i mean the nature make us females with the capacity of breatsfeeding our offspring and its so so rare when you really cant do it with appropiate help..and womans didnt receive this help by the pediatricians that are really old fashioned and dont know anything about breatsfeeding and that should be solved too.

One of the things i like about fundies is that they unlike most of the society nowadays give the credit to breatsfeeding that it deserves.

[Talitha Cumi]

According to the people that posted this nonsense: probably, yes.

"They had better do it and decrease the surplus population." :pull-hair:

[Talitha Cumi]

An FYI, WIC can provide really high quality electric pumps if the mother is going to work or school. And breastfeeding pumps are now covered by insurance under the ACA.

BREASTPUMPS ARE SOCIALISM WHAARGARBL.

[twinmama]

Even then, I could only pump for 6 weeks, until I went back to work. Because whipping out the old pump in front of 8th grade students isn't an option, and when we have to cut educational programs due to lack of funding, you can bet your bottom dollar they aren't going to find coverage for me to pump.

Oh man can you imagine the shit fit people like this would have if you whipped out a breast pump in front of 8th graders?? :lol:

Even with the absolute best of intentions and support and effort, sometimes breastfeeding does not work out. I wanted to, so so badly, but my boys were born 11 weeks early. No suck/swallow/breathe reflex at that age. I pumped for the 2 months they were in the NICU, but waking up at night every 2-3 hours to a pump and not your babies just doesn't foster those lactation hormones (at least it didn't for me). Lots and lots of preemies need formula, and lots of preemies are also on WIC. Preemie formula (Neosure) is more expensive than regular formula, there is no generic of it. And preemies also sometimes have sensitivities that require elemental formulas. One of my boys was on Elecare, which 1 can that lasted 3 days cost $40+. We could afford it and then after a bit our insurance covered it. I'm pretty sure NO ONE on WIC could afford to keep a child on Elecare during this shutdown.

[Antigone]

Ugh. I hate crap like this. Sevy was born 6 weeks early. She loved her milk, but refused to breastfeed after 3 months. so we just went from 50/50 to 100 percent bottle fed with pumped milk when she was that age. She never quite liked being fed from a bottle or the breast, and started eating like crazy when she hit the right age for solids. Even now at 7, her tummy is a little black hole. All in all, it was HER choice, so I rolled with it, as long as she kept on gaining weight, who was I to complain? even if I hated that damn pump...

So stuff it. Not every baby can be the ideal baby.

[mlady]

I never used WIC but I flat out didn't want to breast feed. Take that.

[Handmaiden of Dog]

I think there is still a tradition here in the South of not encouraging breastfeeding. My MIL did not breastfeed her children in the 70's because "women just didn't do that." Her daughter did not breastfeed her son either. How this tradition came about, I don't know except that it seems to make uneducated or unsophisticated people very uncomfortable-- the breasts being sexual and all. Wealthy women didn't either because breast feeding was considered bad for breasts and as arm candy for their wealthy husbands the most important thing was to "get your figure back."

I'd love to see some evidence that wealthy women today breast feed. Not so much enlightened people like Melissa Gates but what about Donald Trump's wives. Do you think they breastfed their babies?

At any rate, yes, breastfeeding is the best way to go if you can manage it but what I have noticed about Conservatives and the Far Right crowd is they seem to have no imagination or empathy (which go hand in hand.) Therefore to some idiot who breastfed their child, all mothers can breastfeed and even if that imagine-less idiot could not or did not, they are exceptional and special. (See also: My abortion is the only allowable abortion.)

[idonthaveajname]

Oh FFS. Things like this make me absolutely ragey.

I didn't breast feed. My twins were so early that I never had milk come in. Never. My son had numerous problems and when he finally got out of the hospital he had to have the special, expensive formula. People judged the fuck out of me all the time, including a fundie asshole GUY at the WIC office who berated me for "not even trying!!!" It's been almost sixteen years and I still HATE that guy for trying to shame me. FUCK HIM.

I worked since I was 16. My husband left when I was pregnant. As soon as I was able to get my children out of the NICU I went back to work. I didn't make a lot of money. WIC saved my life.

[jaynie]

As far as I know (from infant psych class), it has recently been shown that breastfeeding makes a big difference to certain segments of the population (sickly kids, low income kids, etc) but not very much difference at all for most of the population. Ironically the people most able and willing to bf (middle class mothers) are the ones who least need to do so. But of course low income moms are less likely to have the option, as we have discussed.

There are a million factors that play into it. Its not a one size fits all situation by any means, so getting judgey without knowing all the details is a bit ridiculous. People just like to feel superior, I think.