Breastfeeding Newborns: Colo. Mom-To-Mom Texting Helps

ACROSS COLORADO -- Colorado moms of newborns can get breastfeeding support from experienced mothers through a new mom-to-mom texting program sponsored by WIC.

“We know breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed babies, but sometimes new moms need extra support,” said Heidi Hoffman, state director of the Colorado Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in a statement. “Using technology, we can help more moms in more places for less money.”

Texting can serve more women, Colorado WIC found. The Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program originally allowed low-income mothers to talk to experienced moms about problems they were having with breastfeeding and get answers, words of encouragement and referrals. But the program wasn't working in rural Colorado where WIC offices were a long distance away, a press release said.

"Colorado WIC piloted a texting program with 15 agencies supported by a staff of moms experienced in breastfeeding. Instead of traveling to a clinic, WIC moms could text with WIC peer counselors any time of day, especially during critical periods when they couldn’t get their babies to breastfeed.

When Colorado WIC surveyed participating moms after the pilot program, 95 percent said they would use the program again and 96 percent said they would recommend it to other moms. Not only did the program save new moms the hassle of traveling to a clinic, it cut the cost of peer counseling in half for rural agencies.

This year, Colorado WIC rolled out the mom-to-mom texting program to approximately 3,000 moms at 30 agencies statewide. The program is operated out of the Pueblo WIC program by a staff of five women. It now serves 500 women per month.

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