Cooper County WIC

12/03/2025

There are many reasons why your baby would wake more often to feed at night. Regardless of what you find online or from well meaning family and friends, there is no specific, developmental weight or age when a child no longer needs to feed overnight. There is no scientific or medical standard or recommendations for when a baby no longer needs nutrition at night. Society also says babies shouldn’t need tended to at night time and that we should teach them, often from a ridiculously early age, not to need us at night. In reality, we are not in control and neither are our babies. We’re in a mutual relationship where we are learning what our babies need and when they need it. Reasons why babies wake to feed over night:
💡Growth spurts
💡Developmental leap
💡You were gone at work and they missed you or want breast milk straight from the breast
💡Teething
💡They were distracted during the day because the world is an amazing place to learn in and they’re making up for calories over night
💡Sickness
💡They had a bad dream or are scared without you
💡Because they’re human

Per current research, 78% of babies wake up at least once a night and 60% of waking to feed until 1 year (Brown, 2015). That’s NORMAL. Between 12-18 months your toddler may still occasionally wake to feed. Or they may just need an adult to help them transition back to sleep. It’s not until 24 months that the human baby has matured enough to not consistently need an adult to help them transition back to sleep over night and should be getting all of their calories during day time hours.

12/02/2025

that breastfeeding lowers your baby's risk of having asthma? It's true! Breastfeeding your baby can also lower their risk of having:
• Ear infections.
• Lower respiratory infections.
• Diarrhea and vomiting.
• Childhood obesity.
• Eczema.
• Type 2 diabetes.
• Childhood leukemia.
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
For more information on the health benefits of breastfeeding, visit https://wicbreastfeeding.fns.usda.gov/breastfeeding-benefits.

12/01/2025

🙌 Huge thanks to everyone who donated diaper wipes during our Month of Giving! Your support makes a real difference for local families.

🎉 Thank You, Cooper County! 🎉

We are thrilled to share the amazing results from our November Month of Giving diaper wipes drive! Thanks to the generosity of our incredible community, we collected 105 packs of diaper wipes 🙌🧡

These donations will directly support families in need across Cooper County, helping us continue our mission to care for our community with compassion and kindness. Your support truly makes a difference!

✨ Congratulations to our $50 gift card winner — Laura Mauzey! ✨
We’ll be in touch soon!

Thank you again to everyone who donated, shared, or supported this effort. Together, we make Cooper County stronger! 💛

11/24/2025

Baby’s digestive system lays dormant in utero and they don’t p**p. Meconium is that thick, tarry first p**p that builds in the gut and colostrum is a high protein milk that acts as a laxative to p**p this out after birth. When babies are born they p**p a lot, even over night. The digestive system is waking up and maturing. The contents of colostrum and transitional milk aid in this process. Transitional milk includes high levels of fat, lactose, and water-soluble vitamins and is different in nutrient composition than mature milk. It contains more calories than colostrum. Around 2 weeks your milk transitions to mature milk, which has a higher water content than transitional milk, and there is a steady increase in the volume of your milk. As your body and baby adjusts to this change, your baby will eventually stop p**ping overnight: usually around 3-5 weeks. Some will still p**p overnight for longer than that (some times months) and that is also normal! Our digestive system wants to rest at night. Even as adults we typically don’t p**p overnight. Your body is very smart. It makes a higher water content, higher volume milk first thing in the morning to help baby have their first p**p of the day since their system has rested over night. It’s like their morning coffee. In the evening, your milk volume drops and increases in fat to help baby sleep and digest for growth and NOT to p**p. Diaper companies are aware of this change, hence the 12 hour leak protection diapers. Your milk and your baby are going through many changes. Trust your body. Trust your baby.

**p **ps

11/24/2025

Small acts make a big difference 💕 Drop off diaper wipes this week and help us give back!

🚨 Last Week Reminder! 🚨
We’re wrapping up our “Month of Giving” Diaper Wipes Drive and there’s still time to make a difference!

Every pack of wipes donated goes directly to helping families in our community. ❤️ Your small act of kindness can make a big impact!

📍 Drop-Off Locations & Times:

CCPHC
📌 17040 Klinton Drive, Boonville, MO 65233
🕗 Monday–Wednesday | 8 AM – 5 PM

Bloom and Bindings
📌 315 Main Street, Boonville, MO 65233
🕙 Tuesday | 10 AM – 6 PM
🕙 Wednesday | 10 AM – 3 PM
🕙 Friday | 10 AM – 4 PM
🕙 Saturday | 10 AM – 6 PM

🧻 Every pack helps. Every donation counts.
Thank you for supporting local families and spreading a little love this season! 💛

11/19/2025

Some general breastfeeding reminders:
👉🏼Breasts are not supposed to stay engorged
👉🏼The feeling of fullness between feedings goes away
👉🏼Babies become more efficient feeders with time, so a 3 month old may only feed for 5 minutes and still get a full feeding even if they fed for 30 as a newborn
👉🏼Every feeding can be a different length
👉🏼This is eating. Some times we want a snack. Sometimes we want a meal. Some times we just need to quench our thirst. Some times we just want a treat. Same goes at the breast.
👉🏼Some leak, some don’t. Leaking is not an indication of supply. Many stop leaking when supply regultes. Some continue to leak longer.
👉🏼Not everyone feels their let down. Some stop feeling their let down with time.
👉🏼Your body changes its milk based on how its emptied from the breast. Milk that’s emptied around the clock is balanced nutritionally for a newborn. Milk that’s emptied only a few times a day will be perfect for an older infant
👉🏼Pumping is never an indication of supply
👉🏼You can NEVER empty the breast. It constantly makes milk. It takes at least 40 days of no stimulation for the breast to stop making milk
👉🏼Nipple damage is not normal. It is always a sign of something: shallow latch. Tongue tie. Wrong size fl**ge.
👉🏼Every baby feeds differently
👉🏼You are an amazing mom
👉🏼You are doing a wonderful job
when

11/12/2025

If you started pumping in the first two weeks after your baby’s birth, your body was going through massive hormonal and physical changes. If there was swelling in your ni**le and engorgement in your breasts, the pump fl**ges that felt comfortable could be larger than your true size. As the swelling decreased, damage healed, and the initial engorgement of making milk subsided, that fl**ge may no longer feel as comfortable or work as efficient at moving milk. I also see A LOT of women who are told in the hospital that they need 21-27mm fl**ges. Those may work OK in the initial stages after birth, but as the fullness of the breast between feedings goes away with supply regulation, it can really make it apparent the fl**ge size is wrong. New research shows most people need significantly smaller than what comes with the pump: somewhere between 11-17mm depending on the measurement of the base and tip of the ni**le. I’m finding more people feel better in smaller, hard plastic fl**ges that allow the milk ducts to stay open and not collapse with the suction of the pump.

Have you considered changing your fl**ges recently? It can make all the difference

11/10/2025

11/06/2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Cooper County Public Health Center announces continued WIC contract.

Boonville, MO – The Cooper County Public Health Center announces a contract continuance to provide WIC services for federal fiscal year 2026 has been signed with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a special supplemental nutrition program providing services to pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to their 5th birthday based on nutritional risk and income eligibility. The primary services provided are healthy, supplemental food, risk assessment, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and support, health screening and referrals to health care. To be eligible for WIC, applicants must have an income of less than or equal to 185% of the poverty level and be at nutritional risk. Migrant families are also eligible.

WIC supplemental food packages are specially chosen to provide foods high in protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C. Eligible women and children receive fortified milk and cheese, eggs, whole grain bread products, hot or cold cereals, 100% fruit juices, and fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. The WIC program recommends breastfeeding, provides breastfeeding support, baby foods, and infant cereal. For women who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, infants may receive supplemental, iron fortified formula. WIC participants obtain their foods by using their eWIC cards for specific items at participating local grocery stores and pharmacies.

Studies confirm that pregnant women who enroll in WIC during the early months of pregnancy have fewer low birth weight babies, experience fewer infant deaths, see the doctor earlier in pregnancy and eat healthier.

WIC is administered in Cooper County by the Cooper County Public Health Center. Persons interested in applying or who are in need of more information should contact the Cooper County Health Center at 660-882-2626. WIC clinics are offered at 17040 Klinton Drive, Boonville.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, s*x (including gender identity and s*xual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/.../USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form..., from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Attached: Missouri WIC Income Guidelines

11/03/2025

Small acts make a big difference 💕
Drop off diaper wipes this November and help us give back!

🌟 It’s a Month of Giving! 🌟

All November long, we’re hosting a Diaper Wipes Drive — and we’d love your help! Let’s stock up on wipes for little ones in need and spread some kindness this season 💛

Here’s how you can join in:
🧻 Bring One – 3 pack of wipes → get 1 entry ticket
📦 Bring One - Case of wipes → get 2 entry tickets

Each ticket gives you a chance to win a $50 gift card! 🎉

📍 Drop off your donations at our office anytime Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM throughout November.
🎁 We’ll draw the lucky winner on Monday, December 1st!

Let’s make November extra special by giving back together — every little bit helps! 🍼💞

10/29/2025

Keep on shopping, Missouri WIC!
Missouri WIC participants can continue to redeem WIC benefits in November! Missouri WIC families should continue to attend appointments and shop with their WIC cards.

10/29/2025