Breastfeeding Intervention to Prevent Obesity Among Children

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates in the Latine community. Breastfeeding initiation is high in this community, but many people ultimately do not breastfeed for as long as they would like to. The main questions it aims to answer are: Do Latine mothers benefit from peer counseling support from peer counselors who can speak Spanish and share their cultural background? Are mothers more likely to continue exclusive breastfeeding if additional funds are given so that the WIC exclusive breastfeeding package has the same cash value as the WIC formula feeding package? Researchers will compare participants in the intervention group (who receive peer counseling and additional funds) to a control group (who do not receive peer counseling or additional funds) to see if the intervention package improves breastfeeding rates. All participants (intervention and control) will complete weekly surveys about their feeding experiences ($8 per week). Members of the research team will also take infant weight/length measurements at home (twice during the first month and then at 2, 4, and 6 months). Participants will be recruited during pregnancy and the study will last for the first 6 months after their babies are born. Participants in the intervention condition will also be matched with Spanish-speaking Latine peer counselors who will visit mothers at home regularly (weekly at the beginning of the study, monthly at the end of the study) and receive $150 for every month they select the WIC exclusive breastfeeding package. Mothers can choose to receive an electric breast pump instead of one $150 payment.