A Time of Thanks
by Kate Kahn - 20th November 2007
Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I thought it fitting to blog about some of the things I’m thankful for. Let’s begin with breastfeeding. The numbers of women breastfeeding are up (I’ve blogged about this before). And while we need to do better, a huge amount of credit goes to the fact that there’s greater support in our hospitals and certainly good support from the lactation community. Where we need to do better is in the area of education.
I’m grateful for the WIC program. For those of you who don’t know, it stands for Women, Infant and Children. WIC is a federal grant program that provides nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care for low-income women and children in all 50 states, 34 Indian Tribal Organizations, the District of Columbia, and five territories (Northern Mariana, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands). As part of this program, the infant formula companies donate free product to hospitals and communities. And while many see it as nothing more than a marketing ploy by the formula companies, the reality is that the WIC program helps 52 percent of babies born. We’re talking millions of children. Think about how many children would be without the nutrients they need if they didn’t receive formula through the WIC program.
Lastly, I’m thankful to all the women who have shared their infant feeding stories with us over the last few months---both those who breastfed and continue to do so, and those who use formula. Thanks for sharing your ideas about how to better the work environment and perhaps effect public policy. Thank you for being an intelligent, creative and vocal community of women!
Comments
Past Entries
This Week's
Question
Sign the Petition
Do moms know best? We believe they do, but the government may not..
Your freedom to choose between breast and bottle-feeding could be in jeopardy.
