Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Just a note about WIC
Applying and using WIC doesn't bother me at any income level. If you qualify, go ahead with your bad self. The fact of the matter is that WIC is a program first and foremost to make sure women who are likely to be ill informed about the nutritional needs of new mothers and small children get the help they need to make good choices for their children.
That's the reason they only pay for specific items and don't just hand you $100/mo to spend on groceries.
They are also focused on keeping up with your child's growth and health. I was on WIC when pinky was a baby and because they saw her more often than the pediatrician did, they were the ones to notice that she'd not been growing as she should.
You see, you don't just show up and get WIC. You have to go in every other month or so to get your new vouchers. At that visit, you'll spend time with a nurse who will check your child's growth and a dietician who will discuss with you your child's eating habits and your own. After that, you have to go watch videos or sit in on a discussion on various health and nutrition topics, such as when and how to introduce solids, how much juice your baby should be drinking, how to read the labels in the grocery store, etc.
They're also a great source of support for breastfeeding mothers and go into far more details than most pediatricians do including keeping yourself healthy throughout the process.
Pinky was five months old when I happened to have a recert to attend. They measured her, weighed her and immediately sent me to my pediatrician because she was not only small, but hadn't grown very much at all from her previous visit. Her pediatrician had her admitted to the hospital just a few hours later with a failure to thrive diagnosis. It turned out to be a supply issue that I hadn't noticed because pinky was a happy, content baby who I guess only ate enough to keep her alive.
As those of you with small kids know, five months old is one off from the next scheduled well baby visit. That's a long time to have waited to find out your child has been essentially wasting away. Who knows what she would have been like had I waited for my next appointment.
In any case, WIC isn't just a program for women who need help with their expenses. It's a program for women at the lower end of the income spectrum who are likely undereducated in how best to feed their babies. If that doesn't fit the wives of enlisted servicemembers to the tee given how far away they can often be from their support systems and how young they often are, I'm not sure what does.
There is a reason WIC's income requirements are fairly high compared to other government programs and that's for exactly the reasons I specified.
Also, formula is fuuking expensive, yo! And if you TTC'd and budgeted with the plan that you would breastfeed, having to use formula can do a real number on that budget. The same goes for women who planned to breastfeed or planned to use formula and then find out their kid needs the ultra special lactose free, soy, or other fancy formulas in addition to those dealing with premature births or other special needs.
Bottom line, WIC has very little to do with poor mothers and everything to do with healthy babies. The judgement against the women who use it is misplaced.
However, if you want to talk about military spouses who are forever biitching about a lack of military discounts or who are first in line to get a free turkey or otherwise play the woe is me card, I'll be right there with you.
Click me, click me!
Re: Just a note about WIC
Thank you, I think many people don't really understand WIC and the things that it offers
.
I changed my name
Thank you for the information and sharing your experience; I was not aware that it was such a thorough and educational program in addition to the financial aid portion.
I do still feel that for my family to participate would be inappropriate, as we do not need either the financial or educational benefits (especially with the wealth of programs available through the USAF for the educational side of the program), and I feel I'd be taking resources away from someone who might need them more.
I've had this debate many times with people...
WIC taught me alot about how to handle my 1 DD's problems with latching and nursing, and about nutrition for both girls.
They're also one of MY biggest support systems for breastfeeding.
I think even if we didn't qualify for the program, I'd still go in and bother the ladies once a month to make sure I'm getting the information. lol.
::sigh::
You missed the point. But since you went there, store brand formula isn't cheap either.
Click me, click me!
Like many government programs, this isn't really true. The more people they serve, the easier it is to prove year after year that they need the funding. It's not like WIC reaches a quota and then turns everyone else away. I'm not saying this to convince you to apply or anything. Just some general information, kwim?
Click me, click me!
No, I understand. After an experience like yours, I can fully understand why you would be such a big advocate for WIC. And you have given me a lot to think about. I feel like I have a handle on DS's nutrition, but maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to look into it anyways, just to be on the safe side.
Great post.
But even though information is out there...some people still think they're "too good" for WIC. smh.
I'm glad your pinky got the help she needed
I thought WIC was a good program before, now I think WIC is a fabulous program!! And, I am glad that they helped you get Pinky back on track!