MCHD WIC provides breastfeeding help and event on Aug. 7 to raise awareness

Jul. 29, 2026

By Mary Wade Burnside

Anna Ash, a breastfeeding peer counselor at Monongalia County Health Department’s WIC program, was very determined to nurse her son, Aden, who is about to turn 15.
During Ash’s pregnancy, her mother, who had been unable to breastfeed, told Ash that she probably wouldn’t be able to either.
“When somebody tells me I can’t do something, I usually want to prove them wrong,” Ash said.
She started doing research and learned that a mammary defect that can prevent breastfeeding can also be passed down.
“But that’s not always the case.”
She also learned the benefits of the practice, including how breastfeeding, especially with the initial milk that is called colostrum, lines a baby’s gut microbiome with healthy bacteria, setting them up for a lifetime of good digestive health.
And also how breastfeeding helps nursing moms by releasing beta-endorphins such as oxytocin that aid in relaxation, as well as in shrinking the uterus and getting the body back into the shape it was before pregnancy.
Ash was so pleased with her experience (more about that soon) that she ended up taking a job as a breastfeeding peer counselor with MCHD Women, Infants and Children's, part of the federal nutrition program that offers food counseling, food packages and breastfeeding guidance to qualifying pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women and their kids up to their 5th birthdays.
“When the opportunity opened up to be a breastfeeding counselor, I took it,” she said. “I really enjoy being part of a team to help educate moms on their rights and the resources that are available to them, and how to successfully breastfeed their own children.”
Then, last year, Ash revived the Breastfeeding Awareness Walk, which MCHD WIC had previously participated in prior to the COVID pandemic. August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month.
This year’s event will also be held at the Morgantown Market Place at 415 Spruce St., from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7.
Families can hold discussions and gather resources from a variety of groups that will have tables, “in case they might have missed a program they might qualify for,” Ash said.
They can also learn more about topics including breastfeeding in public and in the workplace, which has become easier with legislation that protects nursing mothers.
New activities this year will be a Mommy & Me yoga session under the pavilion, directed by Moonbow Wellness, and a table set up with pepperoni rolls, drinks and other goodies provided by Rolling with Mama D mobile food service.
The event culminates in a walk around the downtown block to raise awareness about breastfeeding.

Even though WIC members need to qualify financially for the program, anyone can take the breastfeeding classes for expectant parents that are offered at each of MCHD WIC’s six locations: Monongalia, Preston, Marion, Harrison, Doddridge and Taylor.
“We highly suggest that even if you don’t qualify for WIC, that people come in for those classes because you are going to learn a lot,” Ash said.
MCHD WIC’s breastfeeding counselors all have personal experience with the practice, training from a course provided by the United States Department of Agriculture as well designations of Certified Breastfeeding Specialist (CBS) and/or International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
After all of Ash’s reading and preparation, her breastfeeding journey with baby Aden took a little detour when her obstetrician insisted she get a Depo-Provera birth control shot before leaving the hospital.
She didn’t realize that it would make breastfeeding more difficult initially because it affects the milk supply.
Ash continued to latch Aden to her breast and was able to get some milk out, supplementing with formula. She’d also use a pump to try to increase her supply.
“A month after he was born, I was finally able to stop supplementing with formula,” Ash said. “I was still combo feeding him, but predominantly, and by the time he was 3 months old, I was breastfeeding exclusively.”
Part of the motivation for continuing was the bond she felt with Aden when he breastfed.
“It was bigger than any feelings of love I had ever experienced before. That was before I knew that breastfeeding released oxytocin, the ‘feel-good’ hormone. I knew it just felt right to have him latching.”

Mary Wade Burnside is the public information officer at Monongalia County Health Department.