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November 12, 2010

Peer Counselors Work with Breastfeeding Moms

Expectant moms enrolled in the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program at the Central District Health Department have a new resource to help get their babies off to a good start. The district recently hired four peer counselors whose primary responsibility is to share their breastfeeding experiences with women in a similar situation.

“Basically, their job is to support those moms and keep them breastfeeding as long as possible,” said Laurie Valdes, Lead Peer Counselor of the program. The WIC program wants mothers to keep breastfeeding until their children reach the age of one; this program is designed to help that goal.

When a first-time mother comes into the WIC program, she is assigned to one of the four counselors. The counselors talk about their own experiences and encourage the mothers to enroll in breastfeeding classes, and get more information. Once the baby is born, the counselor makes it a point to contact the new mom within three to five days to see if she needs help with any breastfeeding issues. Then they stay in touch as necessary for the next three months.

The WIC program has long advocated breastfeeding and provides mothers with a variety of support services, not the least of which is the checks for food for moms and babies. But it is a very busy office and the staff cannot possibly give the level of support that peer counselors can.

“The difference is that these counselors are assigned these mothers, so they can work with them individually.” Valdes said. “They work with the same person throughout the pregnancy and after delivery so that they get to know them, build rapport and bond with them.”

They also work outside of WIC office hours, so if a new mom has questions or problems with breastfeeding, they have someone they can call even if WIC isn’t open.

Leslie Bennett, one of the new peer counselors, had an advantage over many new moms. Her mother is a lactation consultant at St. Luke’s. Still, mom wasn’t always available. “It would’ve been helpful to know that there’s somebody else my age, because I just had my mom for support,” she said. “It would’ve been cool to know that there’s someone else who has gone through things and to just keep going, and that you’re going to make it through this.” That is exactly the goal of the program.

“Hopefully there’s a better connection with somebody who’s in the same situation, who’s a WIC mom and who has successfully breastfed,” explains Cindy O’Neil, program manager for the peer counselors and a registered dietician with the WIC program. “That should help them to be more empathetic because they’ve had the same experiences.”

Breastfeeding provides great benefits to babies and mothers. Research shows that breastfed babies have a lower incidence of gastrointestinal problems, fewer ear infections and less likelihood of obesity and diabetes in later life. Breastfeeding mothers have lower rates of ovarian and breast cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

“It’s a natural act and anyone can do it,” said Allison Owsley, a single mother of two and another of the peer counselors. “Babies want it and it’s good for them. I’ve seen the results in my son and daughter. They’re both very healthy and if they get sick it’s not very serious.”

Beyond the physical reasons to breastfeed there’s also a financial advantage. “They get an enhanced breastfeeding food package,” says Angela Spain, WIC program manager. “So they get more food, and once their baby reaches six months, they get more baby food. So there’s an incentive on that side too.”

But the peer counseling program is also part of a quiet social revolution, as WIC and breastfeeding advocates try to restore something that was lost to the powerful marketing of baby formula, dating back 50-some years. On one recent day, two of the peer counseling moms were assigned to sit in the WIC waiting room and breastfeed their babies.

“We want to show them (the other WIC clients) that it can be done in public,” says Laurie Valdes with the WIC program. “When you’re a new mom, and maybe you’re a teenager, and you’ve never seen anybody breastfeed or you’ve never learned about it, it’s kind of awkward to see that. We want that to be the norm, we want them to see this is the way it’s supposed to be.”

“I just feel that breastfeeding has become a lost art,” says Michelle Taylor, who with five children ranging in age from 11 years to seven months, is the oldest and most experienced of the peer counselors. “I think that women may feel restrained by breastfeeding, and that’s just not the reality that I’ve experienced.”

The most valuable asset each of the new peer counselors has is their own personal experience, but they have completed three days of specialized training in breastfeeding techniques and counseling skills. Equipped with that knowledge, each is excited to begin work with expectant mothers.

“What’s mainly important is that they’re not alone,” said Sachi Wooltenhulme, peer counselor and mother of two. “It’s just nice to be able to turn to somebody, when you’re having a rough time or your baby is colicky or whatever. I’m really excited to see what I can do to help.”

Each of the newly minted peer counselors will work about ten hours a week.

For more information on the WIC program at Central District Health call 208-327-7488 or visit the WIC pages at cdhd.idaho.gov.