He stayed in the hospital and was fed intravenously. With encouragement from the WIC staff, Yvonne began expressing milk with a breast pump immediately after Harold's birth, freezing it for the time when he was strong enough to take nourishment by mouth. Once he was strong enough, he thrived on the milk she had saved, and for the crucial first year of his life, breast milk was his main form of subsistence. Despite WIC's efforts, breastfeeding in 1984 was not particularly popular with the general population, and was even less so among WIC mothers. Women told WIC program staff that they were reluctant to breastfeed their babies because of embarrassment, lack of family support, and other reasons.
Many women cite the same factors today in their decisions about whether to breastfeed their babies.
In order to help overcome the barriers and to increase the rate and acceptance of breastfeeding within both the WIC population and the public at large, WIC is sponsoring a year-long National Breastfeeding Promotion Campaign. The promotion campaign will kick off that week and will continue for a year. The motive behind the campaign is to change the attitudes of the public towards breastfeeding, as well as to enlist health care providers to support the cause. In recent focus group research among WIC clinic staff and clients, most people were found to have a general idea about the benefits of breastfeeding, including faster weight loss after pregnancy and increased immunity passed from the mother to the baby. The campaign will confront these barriers and arm mothers, health care providers, and families with knowledge and support.