Rating: Summary: A must! Review: This book was the answer to all my questions about breastfeeding! It covers all the aspects of it, from the basics concepts needed for a good start (correct latching on, positions, feedings frequency..) to the more complex challenges faced by mothers who are returning to work or who want to breastfeed their toddler, twins or any mother/baby pair with otherwise special needs. It also gives useful information concerning some aspects often left aside by other books such as the mother nutrition, a guide to breastfeeding products and clothes (what really is useful? plus some useful web sites addresses are provided) and last but not least the father's role in breastfeeding. It is THE BOOK I would recommand to any pregnant woman who is considering nursing her infant (and even those who are not, they might change their minds!). One warning though, the authors seem to favor natural attachment parenting (they encourage co-sleeping, cue feeding, sling wearing..) which was fine by me but might not be appreciated by everyone.
Rating: Summary: I love this book Review: This is a fabulous book! It is true to the title, is does have EVERYTHING you need to know. I read the entire book first, then I would use it for reference, while breastfeeding. I passed it down to a friend, who also loves it!
Rating: Summary: I love this book Review: This is a fabulous book! It is true to the title, is does have EVERYTHING you need to know. I read the entire book first, then I would use it for reference, while breastfeeding. I passed it down to a friend, who also loves it!
Rating: Summary: Great Book Review: This is a great in depth book on breastfeeding. A must have for breastfeeding mothers. PS All the books in the "Sears Parenting Library" are great books.
Rating: Summary: One of the best books on breastfeeding! Review: This is a terrific resource and one that I plan to recommend to all new mamas. I wish I had had it when my first baby was born. The Searses are such wonderful advocates for women and children. Katie Allison Granju Author, "Attachment Parenting: Instinctive Care for Your Baby and Young Child"
Rating: Summary: If you plan to nurse -- you must have this book. Review: This is an incredible book. I read three breastfeeding books in anticipation of nursing my child. This one is by far the best of the bunch. It is informative, supportive, easy to read, and contains all the information you could ever want. It also is written in a style that is incredibly supportive of a new mom (as I was). It can be used as a reference book, but it is interesting enough that it is a great cover to cover read (I read it while nursing!) And -- if one has problems with nursing in the beginning (as I did), it gives you the support and encouragement needed to keep trying. Another friend of mine to whom I sent the book said that without it, she would have quit. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Rating: Summary: Good and helpful Review: This was a helpful book, but if you want more information, buy "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears. It repeats practically the whole breastfeeding book in the breastfeeding chapter. Then you get the baby info also. It isn't necessary to buy both.
Rating: Summary: Must read Review: Very simple and clear information as all of the Sears' books are. I used this book all the time during the first few weeks of breastfeeding. My only suggestion to the authors should they ever revise the book is to include information on questionable poopies. I turned out that my son's strange poop was from an overactive letdown (MER). If I had known that and how to remedy the problem from this book it would have saved me some anxiety and money meeting with an BCLC.
Rating: Summary: Not recommended for any new mother Review: What the book has to say is wonderful in theory but its "accusations" of parents being egoistic or failures because it doesn't work in reality, are absurd and can bring a new mother to tears. The 8-page section on weaning doesn't actually give much advice at all on how to wean a baby, but instead stresses on the "importance" of nursing your child through the toddler years. I would DEFINITLY NOT suggest this book to any new mother! After 3 weeks of virtually continuous breastfeeding, I wanted to throw this book out the window! It does give great advise on the "how to's" of breastfeeding which, I admit, were extremely helpful and I had no problems at all with positioning and latch on. However, the book stresses "cue feeding", feeding whenever and however long the baby desires, whether its for nutrition or simple comfort and that "schedule feeding" is only for egoistic parents who want baby to fit into their schedule. This simply is not true. Throughout the book comparisons are made about the "egoistic parent" and that the breastfeeding time is such a small amount of time to sacrifice compared to your entire life and sleepless nights are expected. I kept these thoughts, and others from the book, in my head for weeks and I was virtually in tears every day for feeling so guilty that I wanted some time for me just to eat. The baby cried constantly and was only happy when nursing. I couldn't eat or get any sleep. I tried the "bed sharing" method but this was no help at all, because I still had to hold the baby on my breast to keep her from crying. After 2 weeks, I was completely sleep deprived and had virtually no nutrition because I hardly had time to eat. I finally went to the doctor because I thought something was wrong with the baby. She cried constantly, except when nursing and I was at my end, ready to quit nursing and go to the bottle. What I found out and what the book doesn't explain is that with stress, sleep deprivation, and improper nutrition, the milk is filled with adrenaline and not as much nutritional content or fat, which the baby needs. Therefore the baby remains "nervous" and also needs to feed more often from the lack of "substance" in the milk. It becomes a vicious circle until the baby is virtually non stop feeding because it is hungry and cant sleep. The doctor told me "breast was best" when I asked about formulas and suggested I put the baby on a 3 hour nursing schedule with a maximum of 15 minutes per breast. Also to let her sleep in her cradle because when we move in the bed, she wakes up and she needed peaceful sleep. At first it was hard because the content of my milk was not so good and she wasn't use to her cradle, but it only took 2 days and everything started functioning perfectly! She was sleeping better and eating better, as was I, and my milk content improved. It is not egoistic (as the book suggests) to take a little time for yourself as a parent. It is actually very healthy for both you and the baby. I am still breastfeeding my 5 month old bundle of joy and she has more than enough weight!
Rating: Summary: This book makes you feel like a failure. Review: While I was pregnant, I bought 3 books on breastfeeding. I read this one first from cover to cover. I was very pro breastfeeding and very anti bottle after reading this book. I had every intention of breastfeeding my first child... This book has you so dead set against any bottles (at all) that when the nurse said they could give him a supplemental bottle just once and then I could try again after that, I thought it was over. This book has made me feel guilty from the moment my baby got that first bottle. I'll always wonder -- If I had never read this book, I wouldn't have been so hard on myself and I wouldn't have thought that formula was evil and I would have had more success at breastfeeding. Not to mention this book gives very unrealistic ideals that no mother, or maybe I should say no WORKING mother, could live up to. I wish I had never read this book.
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