Breastfeeding Babies in Buncombe County

Health Benefits

Three out of four mothers (75%) in the U.S. start out breastfeeding, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2010 Breastfeeding Report Card. As the baby grows to six months of age, the percentage of breastfeeding mothers drops. While any amount of breastfeeding is a positive step, it's important to continue to support breastfeeding mothers as they provide invaluable nutrition to their growing baby. Breastfeeding protects babies from SIDS, infectious diseases, diarrhea, ear infections, and pneumonia. Children who are breastfed for six months are less likely to become obese and mothers who breastfeed have a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancers. These are just a few of the many benefits of breastfeeding; but as you can see, it can also be lifesaving.

Cost-Saving

Breastfeeding can also help families and companies by cutting healthcare costs and savings on expenditures such as infant formula, which can be very expensive. A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics estimated that if 90% of U.S. families followed guidelines to breastfeed exclusively for six months, the U.S.. would annually save $13 billion from reduced medical and other costs. For both employers and employees, better infant health means fewer health insurance claims, less employee time off to care for sick children, and high productivity.

Support is Out There

Challenges to breastfeeding mothers can include a lack of support or a gap in generational knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers can also encounter limited opportunity in the workplace to breastfeed or to express milk. For information on how to best support breastfeeding mothers in the workplace, visit workwellnc.com.

There are services in our community, such as the Woman, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) that can help eligible caregivers access breastfeeding support and infant nutrition as well as health screenings, money for healthy food, and personalized nutrition support. The Buncombe County WIC program staff includes a qualified lactation consultant, nutritionist, and healthcare professionals. A family of four with a yearly income of $44,955 or less can quality for WIC.

If you or someone you know might quality for WIC services, call 828.250.5000. You can also visit buncombecounty.org/wic for more information.

For new, qualifying mothers, a program called the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) can help first time mothers tackle the challenges of raising a newborn through home visits, lactation support, maternal and infant nutrition education, and a strong connection with a registered nurse. 

To find out more about this successful, evidence-based program, call 828.250.5000.

Call 2-1-1 or ask your healthcare provider for information on local classes or organizations that provide support to new parents. This kind of setting can provide confidence, connection, and skill building for new mothers and caregivers tasked with the important job of caring for an infant. We are learning more every day about what it takes to raise a successful child.

With proper nutrition, safe and stable relationships, and a supportive community, we set the stage for a healthy and stable future that we can all grow into.