“This is our chance to say thank you to our clients for choosing breastfeeding,” stated Sharon Winterburg, Staff Services Coordinator of the WIC program. “Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for babies. In spite of the barriers to breastfeeding, these people have made the choice.”

Research has shown that there is no better food than breast milk for a baby’s first year of life. Breastfeeding provides many health, nutritional, economical and emotional benefits to mother and baby. Since a major goal of the WIC Program is to improve the nutritional status of infants, WIC mothers are encouraged to breastfeed their infants.WIC has historically promoted breastfeeding to all pregnant women as the optimal infant feeding choice, unless medically contraindicated.

The Stanislaus County WIC has breastfeeding specialists that are available to help mothers with questions or issues. They also have developed a resource brochure available to physicians that show the benefits of breastfeeding and where people can turn for breastfeeding support and information.

For more information, please contact David T. Jones at (209) 558-5636.

The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency (HSA) is an outpatient medical system with 10 medical offices located throughout Stanislaus County. The HSA operates the Public Health Department, an Urgent Care Center and multiple programs serving over 500,000 patients and clients each year in Stanislaus County. The HSA also is in local partnerships for the MOMobile project and the Stanislaus Family Practice Residency Program. The HSA has extensive community health information available at its web site www.hsahealth.org