Online Education for WIC Professionals

Abstract

Breastfeeding initiation is on the rise in New Mexico; however, breastfeeding duration here, and around the world, does not meet international recommendations. Misunderstanding a baby’s behavior is often an overlooked variable that decreases breastfeeding duration. Hoping to help parents better understand how child development impacts breastfeeding, 138 New Mexico Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) professionals recently completed HUG Your Baby's Roadmap to Breastfeeding Success—a 2-hour online program, with accompanying resources, that covers key information from birth to 1 year. After completing the course, participants demonstrated increased knowledge of how child development impacts breastfeeding, expressed a stronger intention to teach parents about normal child behavior, and reported greater confidence to do so. The course was viewed as evidence-based, its online format was well-received, and participants would recommend it to colleagues.