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COLUMBIA, S.C. — August is National Breastfeeding Month, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is encouraging breastfeeding year-round to improve the health of babies in the Palmetto State.
The 2023 theme for National Breastfeeding Month is, “This is Our Why.” This theme aims to shine a light on why breastfeeding support is important and center the conversation on the babies and families who need support.
In addition to health education and healthy foods, DHEC’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program provides breastfeeding information, support and assistance at no cost to South Carolina families who qualify. Families interested in WIC should visit scdhec.gov/wic.
While South Carolina’s breastfeeding rates are among the lowest in the southeastern region of the country, ranking sixth out of the region’s eight states, the state has made improvements in recent years.
“South Carolina has seen a steady increase in WIC breastfeeding rates and that helps ensure that our babies in the WIC program are getting a healthy start on life,” said State Breastfeeding Coordinator Jenna Deaver. “Breast milk is rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients as well as other ingredients that help babies grow healthy and strong.”
In March of 2020 and 2021, 20.7% of all infants participating in the program were fully or partially breastfed. This percentage increased to 22.8% in March 2022 and 29.3% in March 2023.
Breastfeeding rates in the South Carolina WIC Program vary by race, ranging between 23.7% among Black infants to 46.4% among Asian infants from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. In the same year, the Hispanic and Latino population had breastfed at a rate of 41.2% and the White population had a rate of 33.3%.
WIC offers resources and collaborates with local organizations to help strengthen breastfeeding promotion and education to help close disparities. These initiatives include:
Utilizing educational messages, training, tools and other resources reflective of local culture, ethnicity, language and literacy levels
Assigning peer counselors who reflect a WIC participant’s language, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic characteristics, when possible
Working with Mocha Mamas Milk, a research study aimed at promoting breastfeeding among African American women
Partnering with PASOs, which aims to serve individuals and families and strengthen leadership within Latino communities to advance health education and awareness, advocacy, resource navigation, resource connection and leadership development
Although infants residing in urban counties experienced 1.3 times higher breastfeeding rates compared to those living in rural counties, WIC breastfeeding rates increased among infants living in both urban and rural counties between 2021 and 2023.
DHEC’s WIC program encourages all mothers to breastfeed their infants, unless medically contraindicated.
Breastfeeding has many benefits including:
Breastmilk reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diabetes and obesity,
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of cancer, postpartum depression and low-iron for mothers,
Breastmilk helps babies develop a higher IQ and improves brain development,
Breastmilk promotes lower blood pressure and cholesterol later in life, and
Breastfeeding helps a uterus return to its normal size.
To learn more and for free resources related to breastfeeding, available to WIC and non-WIC participating families, visit the WIC breastfeeding page on DHEC’s website.
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