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The Boob Lady
On Thursday morning I had the great pleasure of shadowing the breastfeeding peer counselor at the Cole County WIC office (Jefferson City, MO). The Cole County WIC office discovered some time ago that if their dietitians counseled breastfeeding to their pregnant clients, the women were no more likely to attempt nursing than if they had received no counseling, but that if a PEER encouraged breastfeeding, women were more likely to give it a try. Renee, once a WIC client herself, is now the Cole County breastfeeding peer counselor, and thanks to her hard work, the breastfeeding initiation rate has jumped from 20% to 60%!!!! Incredible!
Check out the awesome banner that is hanging in the Jefferson City WIC office:
I sat in with Renee -- affectionately called "the boob lady" by some -- as she met with a variety of pregnant moms. Some were primips (first baby), some were multips (2nd+ baby), some had nursed before, others had not, but all were of low socioeconomic status, quite young (the oldest mom we saw was 20!), and most thought breastfeeding was weird or gross. Some of the WIC clients feel they cannot breastfeed because their breasts "belong" to their boyfriends/husbands. Others were squimmish and embarrassed to touch their own chests, to which Renee would reply, "Their YOUR breasts, you can touch them!" Another woman was telling us with her body language that she had likely been abused...she kept her amrs crossed over her breasts the whole time we talked. It was definitely a different culture. Renee was so fabulous with every woman who came through her door. She talked about the nearly limitless benefits of breastfeeding, the ingenious advertising of formula companies, and the myths surrounding breastfeeding and nursing difficulties. She demonstrated various positions and had the women try for themselves. We watched video clips of breast compression and contrasting good and poor latches. But the coolest thing she did was give her phone number to every single woman so that they could call her with questions and postpartum breastfeeding assistance.
By the end of my shadowing experience, Renee and I had become fast friends. We soon discovered that the other was also an earthy mama, and we had a great time discussing breastfeeding and a variety of other topics! "The Boob Lady" is a kindred spirit and doing a great work in Jefferson City!
Check out the awesome banner that is hanging in the Jefferson City WIC office:
I sat in with Renee -- affectionately called "the boob lady" by some -- as she met with a variety of pregnant moms. Some were primips (first baby), some were multips (2nd+ baby), some had nursed before, others had not, but all were of low socioeconomic status, quite young (the oldest mom we saw was 20!), and most thought breastfeeding was weird or gross. Some of the WIC clients feel they cannot breastfeed because their breasts "belong" to their boyfriends/husbands. Others were squimmish and embarrassed to touch their own chests, to which Renee would reply, "Their YOUR breasts, you can touch them!" Another woman was telling us with her body language that she had likely been abused...she kept her amrs crossed over her breasts the whole time we talked. It was definitely a different culture. Renee was so fabulous with every woman who came through her door. She talked about the nearly limitless benefits of breastfeeding, the ingenious advertising of formula companies, and the myths surrounding breastfeeding and nursing difficulties. She demonstrated various positions and had the women try for themselves. We watched video clips of breast compression and contrasting good and poor latches. But the coolest thing she did was give her phone number to every single woman so that they could call her with questions and postpartum breastfeeding assistance.
By the end of my shadowing experience, Renee and I had become fast friends. We soon discovered that the other was also an earthy mama, and we had a great time discussing breastfeeding and a variety of other topics! "The Boob Lady" is a kindred spirit and doing a great work in Jefferson City!