Rating: 
Summary: Great information!!!
Review: This book is a wonderful reference, and great to have if you are not fortunate enough to have a good support system. While at times I found him to be a little overly zealous, and he was informative to the point where he actually turned off my sister-in-law to breastfeeding, I found him to be helpful. All the nurses in the maternity ward were so happy I had my nose in my book, and they commented on how well my son and I adapted to one another!While I was extremely fortunate in my experience as a new mother to have an excellent support system, including a Midwife who successfully breastfed all her own children, caring hospital staff, and a very easy going baby, I realize that many women aren't as lucky, so I would recommend this book to them. If you are new to breastfeeding, it certainly never hurts to go into a new situation totally informed so you can avoid many common pitfalls (like wrong, misguided advice by hospital staff or family members. This book contains that information.
Rating:
Summary: Informative but strident
Review: This book is vastly informative, with enormous breadth and depth. It was truly quite helpful. It is quite understandable how Dr. Newman became such a breastfeeding partisan; medical professionals and formula manufacturers are doing every bit as much harm as he claims. But Newman is a partisan who preaches incessantly to his own congregation. His prose style is non-stop pep rally, and every paragraph has a political slant. And occasionally, his hard-core breastfeeding-at-all-costs advocacy crosses into the absurd: in one example in the book he mildly chastises a woman for failing to breastfeed her baby when she had taken another injured child to the emergency room (the mother had left the infant with a trusted friend, who spoon-fed the baby expressed breast milk for 5 hours). This purism can only undercut Newman's credibility. And it prevents the book from being as much a comfort to women struggling with breastfeeding issues as it could be. Yes, yes, yes, we are trying to find ways to breastfeed as well as possible, as long as possible. But for us parents, this is not a political issue at the moment of a breastfeeding difficulty: it is a family medical issue, and Newman's advice would be more welcome if it did not sound like it came from a political pamphlet. My wife and I wish very much to breastfeed our infant. But there are women who cannot produce enough breastmilk, and it appears my wife is one of them, as a result of breast reduction surgery when she was a teenager. Newman's book discusses this situation, but veers from a small bit of practical advice back to bullet-spitting political diatribe just as fast as it can. I appreciate Newman's partisanship and work around the world tremendously; the man has directly helped thousands of babies and mothers thrive, in developed and poor countries. And I am glad when any doctor can express any emotion openly. Better the informed anger of a partisan than the cold ignorant indifference of a "treat-em-and-steet-em" medical automaton. But right this minute, as my wife and I wrestle with ways to augment milk supply and keep our baby healthy, I would have appreciated it if his book and on-line advice tempered his righteous anger with a bit more interpersonal empathy.
Rating: 
Summary: Intersting, but preachy. Didn't provide answers I needed.
Review: This book was great about telling you all the benefits of breastfeeding, and drawbacks of not. I found it very basic and not convenient to answering questions that came up. The most helpful book I have found is THE NURSING MOTHER'S PROBLEM SOLVER. It is written in a question and answer format and organized alphabetically. This was the book that answered questions about why my baby would refuse a bottle of expressed milk. Apparently, very few women have excess "lipase" in their milk, which causes the milk to start spoiling when it becomes cool. Unfortunately, I am one of these women. The enzyme breaks down the nutrients in milk, literally making the milk seem like regurgitated milk. Thus, my milk can be stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days before it starts to spoil. (So much for banking milk in the freezer for daycare when I go back to work.) If you're having trouble nursing, this isn't the book to buy. It only reinfoces the beliefs you may already hold about nursing in the first place. I highly recommend THE NURSING MOTHER'S PROBLEM SOLVER, Dr. William Sears, or THE NURSING MOTHER'S COMPANION by Kathleen Huggins.
Rating: 
Summary: The absolute best!!! Lives up to its name.
Review: This is truly the best breastfeeding book there is. If not for this book, I would have had to wean my baby long before I wanted to. I am the youngest in a family of breastfeeding mothers who never encountered any problems (even though they were actually doing a lot of things wrong) so I thought: "no problem, this breastfeeding business is a cinch." However, as a result of incorrect advice I received at the beginning from my mother & sisters and my daughter's pediatrician my milk supply almost dried up. I read several other books and check many websites and tried everything but nothing helped. This is the only book that provided an effective solution. Since then, it has also helped me to solve several other problems. It is written in a clear and entertaining style and covers every breastfeeding issue you need to know about. Thanks a million, Dr. Newman.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book, this is the one to get!
Review: Totally comprehensive, explains proper latching really well with photos (and has pictures of incorrect latches as well), is nicely written, brings up potential problem scenarios and how to address them, stories from moms, what NOT to do, common myths, the works. I just got it yesterday and have learned a ton of new info. I am reading it all the way through, can't put it down! There is also an eye-opening section at the front about just how hard formula companies work to make sure that women *don't* breastfeed, and the attempts made to keep us all in the dark about how to do it properly so that it seems like more trouble than it's worth. Also very good research on how formula is in *no* way equivalent to breastmilk, it's a very, very poor substitute and carries quite a few risks to your baby. The effort made to breastfeed is well worth it and should be thoroughly explored before resorting to formula. I don't feel that the tone is too strident at all. Considering the tactics typically used to get women to give up on breastfeeding at the slightest setback or problem, I think Dr. Newman is well-justified in his efforts to resolve problems with breastfeeding FIRST before considering formula or sugar water or other poor subsititutes. When there *are* good justifications for using supplementation (such as low milk production), he gives plenty of guidance on how to do it so that the breastfeeding relationship is minimally affected, and the mom doesn't just give up. Some breastmilk is better than none, that's what he says. Also, he doesn't mean for this book to take the place of a certified lactation consultant. He highly recommends seeking help *right* away if you have sore nipples or any trouble whatsover in breastfeeding. Sore nipples are not something to be endured, they are indicative of a poor latch, and should be addressed right away, not ignored. This was the best $13.97 I have spent on my baby. Totally worth every penny. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: I give this book to EVERY pregnant friend!
Review: we are very lucky because right now there are many very good books on breastfeeding (LLL's Womanly Art Of, BEStfeeding, So That's What They're For, Sears' book, etc). however, after a lot of consideration, I think this is currently the best - and that is saying a lot! Jack Newman is a man, true, and he has never nursed a baby but he has decades of practice dealing one on one with nursing moms and HE LISTENS, and he learns. Theresa Pitman is a mother and grandmother and an absolutely fabulous writer and breastfeeding activist. together they have written a great book. this book is a bit different in that Dr. Newman has devised a remarkably successful candida protocol, as well as one for Domperidone. I have shown these to my own skeptical physician and gotten great results. but most of all, this book was comforting to me - for instance, I wish I had read it before my daughter was born (I got it when she was 6 weeks old) since he explains in DETAIL exactly what a truly sunken fontanel is (as a sign of dehydration). I was up nights during the first 5 weeks convinced my daughter had this dreaded sign when in reality she didn't. Jack explains what is and ISN"T a warning sign. sometimes what isn't a problem is more important than what is. again, there are many fantastic books out there, but this is definitely one of the best. as they say, if you can only buy one.... get this one.
Rating:
Summary: A Successful Breastfeeding Mama
Review: When I had my first child this past March I was living in a very small community with few resources, including the lack of a lactation consultant. My son was having problems gaining weight and I was having problems breastfeeding. I was at my wit's end and about to give my son formula when a friend of mine sent me this book. This book was my saving grace! Jack Newman is great and writes with honesty and experience. I highly recommend this book for any woman about to become a mom, or any new mother, whether or not she is having problems breastfeeding. It is a great resource book. Dr. Newman discusses correct position (with pictures), potential problems and their solutions, the importance and benefits of breastfeeding, the history of (evil!)formula companies, and much more. I didn't give it 5 stars because it does not discuss a condition some women have (including myself) where the breastmilk has excess lipase. This causes pumped milk to sour much quicker than usual. (I found info about this at ..., another great resource!) Overall, I think this book is wonderful. In fact, I just sent a copy to a pregnant friend! PS my son and I are still successfully breastfeeding at 7 months and plan to continue for as long as possible.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone should have this excellent book!
Review: When I was having problems getting started breastfeeding, I looked everywhere on the net for information that could help me. I came across Dr. Jack Newmann's webpages (was impressed)and then saw his book in the store. It has been the most helpful book I could have purchased! His information is totally up to date and backed up with studies. He dispels many common myths (i.e. breastfed babies require extra water when the weather is hot, you cannot breast feed while taking many common medications...)about breastfeeding. The information is very well layed out and easy to find. It really opened my eyes to the unsung values of breastfeeding (and the dangers of not). I highly recommend this book to mothers, educators and even doctors! (FYI this book goes under the name "Dr. Jack Newmann's Guide to Breastfeeding" in Canada - it is the exact same book.)
Rating:
Summary: PREACHY, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE!!!
Review: WHILE I AGREE WITH THE OTHER REVIEWER THAT SAID THE BOOK IS ON THE PREACHY AND POLITICAL SIDE, CONSIDERING THE POOR (OR NON-EXISTANT) TRAINING MOST DOCTORS AND OTHER MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS HAVE AS FAR AS BREASTFEEDING IS CONCERNED (AND THE DIFFICULTY IN FINDING GOOD, QUALIFIED LACTATION CONSULTANTS IN SOME AREAS), I THINK THE PREACHY AND POLITICAL TONE IS NECESSARY. I WOULD CERTAINLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO PLANS ON HAVING CHILDREN. PLEASE DON'T THINK THIS BOOK CONDONES FORMULA, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T. HE DOES ADMIT THAT SOMETIMES FORMULA IS NECESSARY, JUST NOT AS NECESSARY AS DR'S AND OTHERS THINK.
| 
