Ask a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor: What is the role of a breastfeeding peer counselor?

What is a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor?

Yamesha

Photo from WIC Works

Dear Yamesha,

A WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor is a paraprofessional support person who gives basic breastfeeding information and encouragement to WIC participants who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Each Breastfeeding Peer Counselor must go through a training program to help women successfully breastfeed.

A peer counselor helps in many ways, e.g. private counseling, telephone calls, clinic visits and hospital visits. Breastfeeding Peer Counselors will teach you about the benefits of breastfeeding, overcoming common barriers, and get you off to a good start with breastfeeding. Additionally, she helps mothers prevent and resolve common breastfeeding concerns.

Peer counselors also help manage our breast pump loan program as well as providing bras, shields, pads and other supplies that WIC offers to breastfeeding moms for support. They also act as peer mentors for WIC participants by helping them to see others like themselves breastfeeding or having breastfed.

Sincerely,
Your Breastfeeding Peer Counselor