UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) —One of the most important things a new mother can do for her baby is breast-feed. Yet statistics from the 1993 Healthy People 2000 Review show that only S 4 percent of women in the United States breast-fed shortly after their babies were bom. Five to six months after giving birth, only 19 percent were breast-feeding. An even smaller percentage of low-income mothers breast-feed their babies. In 1992, the number of breast-feeding women enrolled statewide in WIC, the federally funded supplemental feeding pro gram, was about 25 percent The average length of time these wom en breast-fed was less than seven weeks. A new Penn State program may help to change this. “The key is to educate women and provide en couragement,” says Judith Heald, registered dietitian and manager of the federally funded Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) at Penn State. Heald helped develop the Breast- Feeding Peer Counselor Program, administered in Penn State's Col lege of Agricultural Sciences. “Many women are convinced % % I % MARCH 18, 1995 A SPECIAL SECTION IN LANCASTER FARMING % % ADVERTISERS PLAN NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE PHONE 717-394-3047 or 626-1164 Deadline Friday, March 10 GROWERS INFORMATION FEATURE INTERVIEWS STATE & NATIONAL ASSOCIATES NEWS % PRESIDENT’S NEWSLETTER Penn State Program Promotes Breast Feeding that breast-feeding is difficult and inconvenient,” Heald says. “Others don't even consider breast-feeding because they know so little about it When the women around them aren’t breast-feeding and aren’t encouraging them to do it, it’s unlikely they’ll even try." Heald developed Penn State’s Breast-Feeding Peer Counselor Program with Dr. Madeleine Sig man-Grant, assistant professor of food science and registered dieti tian, and graduate student Meg Schmidt. Begun last year, the pro gram provides information and support for women in the state who want to leant to breast-feed. “The U.S. Public Health Ser vice wants to increase the number of new breast-feeding mothers to at least 75 percent, and the number of mothers breast-feeding until their babies are five to sue months old to at least SO percent,” says Sigman-Grant. “The Peer Coun selor Program is an important part of that effort in Pennsylvania.” Participants in the Breast-Feed ing Peer Counselor Program are recruited from pregnancy classes and hospitals. EFNEP nutrition education advisers, who’ have, been trained as breast-feeding The Official Publication For The PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC. educators, visit these women in their homes both before and after their babies are bom. ‘These are- crucial times for new mothers,” says Judith Wahl, breast-feeding educator in Blair County. “Their bodies are going through dramatic changes, and without advice and encourage ment, they may think there is something wrong with them and decide they can’t breast-feed. “If we can help women at thgse early stages, many of them should have litUe trouble,” Wahl says. ‘The women are very excited when they hear that I’ll come and speak with them in their homes. It’s important for them to have someone they can talk with face to-face. Bottle-feeding has been considered the best choice for so long that breast-feeding is a mys tery to a lot of women. We want it to make a comeback.” Participants who successfully breast-feed can receive training to become peer counselors. “When enough mothers take part in the program, there will be a tremend ous amount of community sup port,” says Heald. The program also educates women about the many benefits of CAROLYN NMO< ER ground and along (he river Ii i Co Corrnpwidam ktw *y* pushed up 10 me dial 1 JERSEY SNORE (Lycom have pig manure and nver Held ing Co) Some people say but we ve had the Five Year « * die rich over bottom soils Cbm Club in seven or eight that allow Ed Snook to take locations and we ve won home the first place ribtoni in smarts on all of them he stud die Pennsylvania Com Club s In dlls year s contest Snook annual production contest But plßbed first in the three year according to the long time com svsrage shelled grain class for grower and hog firmer there die regular harvest size Hit «e many facton that contribute ywldm 1992 was 191 tbuahels to bumper com crops . per acre In 1993 he produced In the Five Acre Com Club 201 0 bushels per acre and in I don i enter the same Helds >994 he produced 194 I eveiy yea. Ive had them in the buahels per acre for an average Nippeivw Valley on llmelona non, . nc li breast-feeding. “Breast milk con tains important proteins, minerals and vitamins,” says Sigman- Grant “It has antibodies to help newborns fend off infections and nutrients for tissue development and growth.” Breast-feeding also is more economical than feeding infant formula and may help women re turn to their pre-pregnancy weights more quickly. “ At the same time, it strengthens the bond Retirement Planning RUTGERS, N.J. Everyone who faces retirement, voluntarily or otherwise holds the hope that the retirement years will be “the gold en years” they’re supposed to be. Whether retirement is the best time of one’s life or the worst depends upon the amount of planning and effort invested in preparation for it. To have a successful retirement means doing the things we’d like to do, going where we’d like to go, and being free to make choices. All <o®®M fM® PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORNGROWERS ASSOCJNC. WMiii cam Tim. Know Farm’s‘ Microenvironment, C/ivc Corn Grower President H/ S<,^ S C R<k «„.r.™.*.u.i .00—0' lJ ANDY ANOEEWS _ (700 tent in com 150 Kmc li M»a Lnncnitnr F«rm!n| SlnfT mi ll |rmn nnd ISO Knm m h*yl . I MONTOUMVILLE U-ycommt 0 .. e I In \TV Co) _ You hive lo know me micro- kno » ate noNmes ollhc coil mo .1 U L l\Vi environmento( everyploce V°o (cimm o« cnvimnmcm » • »*iolc \ ,„f 1 k 1 order lo be nWc io mike in imclh jcnl We H»e mme el.» md mck 1* . v \*/ IIIV, C I A Choice In iced com selection said .. uy this Is where the »•» \ ' v \ \<Mjl - |\, Pi I curt Rakestraw newly elected pres* C i C ndidihcirmost damage Theedge I \\V l\ V /VLf | IKwIKN *m o( me Penmilvin.i Miller Com |ljccr w „ nf W kem So »c t« 11 AA.V VliKi 1 Jl Croww* Maoclauott Inc hiile bu of everythlni aniund he < fl Duringan interviewearly iukc«rsw said a lot of the _a»J' ** .* MMi with Leneesttr Ferming Rakestraw rems(o jrow com has a lot of diffc WW loured several of the 31 different farm « c „ cs * o fwil ranging from a Hager —l a.-—•*»-£ in 1.1.«» ®®lN fAIL pmnvm mm cm rntmus «w i K For Snook, Standability’j Most Important Factor Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 4. 1 between mother and baby, which is important for the child’s emo tional development,” says Grant. The Breast-Feeding Peer Coun selor Program currently is avail able in Blair, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia. Huntingdon, Lacka wanna, Northampton, North umberland, Pike, Snyder, Tioga and Union counties. For more in formation about the program, con tact Judith Heald at (814) 863-3447. of these require that we attain at least a reasonable level of financial independence. Rutgers Cooperative Extension is offering a retirement series titled “Retirement Planning: Get An Early Start." This five week series will begin on Monday, March 20 and run through April 17, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Extension Center on Route 31, in Flemington, NJ. To register or receive more informa tion, call Rutgers Cooperative Extension at (908) 788-1342. % <0 t. % $ % 1 JJ %
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers