WIC Offers:

1. Nutrition education, counseling and support

Should I breastfeed? How much weight should I gain during pregnancy? How can I get my child to eat vegetables? WIC will help you find the answers to these questions and many other nutrition-related concerns.

2. Breastfeeding promotion and support

Did you know that breastfeeding protects mothers and infants from certain diseases? Benefits of breastfeeding include:

• Preventing ear infections, SIDS, diabetes and childhood obesity

• Reducing the likelihood of an allergy

• Promoting a loving bond between mother and baby

During local clinic visits, WIC staff provide information about how to get started breastfeeding and help support you to breastfeed for as long as you choose.

3. Nutritious foods

WIC provides healthy brand-name foods that you and your child like to eat. Participants get WIC foods by taking a check to local authorized grocery stores. Participants are given a list of foods that are allowed on WIC.

WIC Foods:

• For Infants (Birth - 12 months) - WIC strongly encourages breastfeeding as the preferred method of infant feeding. Bottle-fed infants receive the WIC contract brand of iron-fortified infant formula. Beginning at 6 months of age, infants may also receive iron-fortified infant cereal, baby food fruits, vegetables, and meats. (Baby food meats are for exclusively breastfed babies only.)
   

• For Women and Children - Women and children receive milk, cheese, eggs, cereals high in iron and low in sugar, peanut butter, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain products (bread, tortillas, or brown rice), dry/canned beans or peas, and fruit or vegetable juices. Women who exclusively breastfeed their babies may also receive canned tuna or salmon.

4. Health Screenings

WIC provides free health screenings to all participants to determine nutritional risk. A nutritional risk is any medical or dietary issue that is caused by, or associated with, what you eat, like poor growth, poor eating habits and tooth decay. WIC determines nutritional risk by measuring height and weight, doing a simple blood test and reviewing each participant's medical history and dietary intake.

5. Referral to other services

WIC lets participants know about other community-based agencies and providers (doctors, public health nurses and support agencies). The results of the WIC assessment are used to identify programs and services that would be beneficial for you to participate in, like prenatal care, SNAP (Food Stamps), Health Tracks or well-child visits and immunizations.

• Links
• WIC Offers?
• FAQ
• Your First Visit
• WIC Publications

Copyright � 2005 North Dakota Department of Health

Intranet