Missouri Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program

Who is a peer counselor?

Women in the community with personal breastfeeding experience who provide information and support to other mothers.
 “That’s what it’s all about…moms helping moms.”
                                          WIC Peer Counselor

What Does A Peer Counselor Do?

• Gives basic breastfeeding information and support to new mothers.
• Helps mothers achieve their own breastfeeding goals.
• Regularly contacts mothers during their pregnancy, during the early days of breastfeeding, and until the mother chooses to wean her baby.
• Refers mothers with concerns outside the peer counselor’s scope of practice to appropriate lactation experts or healthcare professionals.
• Refers non-WIC mothers to other community breastfeeding resources, if they are not eligible for WIC.
• Is a role model for other WIC mothers.

How to find a peer counselor?

Missouri currently has 73 WIC agencies with peer counselors on staff. Click here to view a map showing which counties offer peer counseling. You can use the interactive Missouri map for WIC clinic location and contact information.

How to Apply?

Local WIC providers can apply online for the Breastfeeding Peer Counseling (BFPC) Program in April by clicking here. In addition to completing the online application, the applicant must complete a breastfeeding peer counseling plan, which includes evaluating current breastfeeding promotion and support services and describing how peer counseling will enhance those services. The plan will also need to include two short term and two long-term goals.

Required Training

Breastfeeding Peer Counselors and Coordinators are required to attend state sponsored training sessions on breastfeeding and counseling skills.

Posters and Literature

Breastfeeding Peer Counselor posters and a brochure have been developed to market peer counseling and aid in the recruitment of peer counselors. The posters and the English version of the brochure are available from the Department of Health and Senior Services warehouse. The Breastfeeding Peer Counseling brochure is available for download in PDF format in many different languages.

Arabic -- Bosnian -- Chinese -- English -- Farsi -- Korean -- Russian -- Somali -- Spanish -- Ukrainian-- Vietnamese

More information on breastfeeding is on the Missouri Department of Health website.