Pressure Cooker by Bowen Sarah; Brenton Joslyn; Elliott Sinikka

Author:Bowen, Sarah; Brenton, Joslyn; Elliott, Sinikka
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2019-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

23Stop Crying

A thin woman in her mid-forties sits behind the intake window of the WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) office. She has tan skin, long black hair, and a French manicure. Her name tag says “Patti.”

Patti staples a sheaf of papers together and begins the standard intake procedure for Melanie Richards. She barely looks at Melanie as she mechanically asks each question.

“Is the phone number still the same?”

“We only really use that number for the internet,” Melanie answers, sitting up straight.

Patti raises her head. With her pen poised, she gives Melanie a deadpan stare.

“Okay. What’s your other number?”

Melanie’s cheeks flush as she recites her cell phone number to Patti. She tugs self-consciously at her shirt, which is tight around her stomach. Her hair is pulled back and fastened with a barrette at the top of her head, and her bright green eyes are accented with a hint of eye shadow and mascara. Melanie has come straight from work.

Patti writes the number on a piece of paper. “Okay, have a seat and you will be called soon,” she tells Melanie.

The WIC office resembles a cross between a doctor’s office and a typical government agency, like the Department of Motor Vehicles. Rows of hard plastic chairs, all facing the television, line the perimeter of the room. Melanie chooses a seat. Her four-year-old daughter, Jade, makes her way over to an area with a small table and children’s toys. Today, she is wearing a striped blue and white T-shirt, a short blue skirt, and pink Crocs.

The posters on the walls of the waiting area are filled with health promotion messages. “Health care starts with breastfeeding,” reads one. Another, taped to the door of someone’s office, assures mothers: “Breastfeeding works around any schedule.” A third poster features a smiling white woman with her hand on her pregnant belly. The words above the picture declare: “You quit, two quit,” referring to a state campaign to help pregnant and new mothers stop smoking cigarettes.

The staff at this WIC office is a lot friendlier than at other offices, Melanie feels. When Jade was a baby, she went to another office that was especially bad, in her opinion. There were always long lines, and the staff neglected to return phone calls. Melanie was particularly frustrated when they “practically tried to force her” to give Jade formula. Melanie remembers them asking her, “Don’t you want some formula? It’s free!” Melanie thought this was odd, given WIC’s official policy of promoting breastfeeding.1 She ignored the advice and breastfed instead.

Jade is already bored with the toys, which are geared to much younger children. Jade will turn five soon and age out of the WIC program. “Are we going to see a doctor?” she asks her mother seriously. Jade hates going to the doctor.

“No, honey,” Melanie explains patiently. “They are not doctors. They are nutrition counselors. They just want to check and make sure that you are healthy and that Mommy is feeding you the right food.”

Never

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