KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Kayla Desroches/KMXT
World Breastfeeding Week begins Tuesday and brings awareness to the benefits of nursing.
The Kodiak Area Native Association runs the Women, Infants, and Children program, or WIC, which educates island families about nutrition and food.
WIC Coordinator Stephanie Jenkins says part of what she does is to sit down with future mothers and go over how to care for a baby. She covers both safe sleep and hunger cues.
“I always encourage pregnant or breastfeeding moms to watch for the baby to put their hands in their mouth, that’s a good sign that a baby’s hungry. Or if they’re kind of looking around. We call it a rooting reflex, where they’re kind of moving their lips as if they would like to nurse.”
Jenkins will be available to speak to mothers in person at a World Breastfeeding Week event on Friday. It’ll be from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Mill Bay Health Center, and Jenkins says there’ll be food, prizes, and giveaways.
