Rating: 
Summary: This book will grow on you
Review: I must admit I was put off when I first read this book; as I breastfed longer I gained increasing respect for its' tenets and now am an active La Leche League leader. It is heavy on philosophy, but it is a good philosophy that easily gets lost in our modern world. I come back to this book again and again. If you know you will return to work soon after birth, read it along with "nursing mother working mother" by Gayle Pryor.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic book; not meant as a cure-all
Review: I'm a bit put off by the review below stating that "sometimes the bottle is the best and wisest choice for the baby" - this is simply NOT true. Artificial feeding is never the best and wisest choice. If this person believed that reading a book would guarantee her an easy time, that's where the problem was - not in the book. This book offers practical advice and a sound foundation for breastfeeding. La Leche League exists to promote and encourage breastfeeding, and they do their part to make sure that every mother is able to give her baby the only truly acceptable infant nourishment. This book is not intended to substitute for a lactation consultant! If you need one, get one. Don't expect others to assuage your guilt over not feeding your infant an appropriate, nourishing food intended for human babies.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you LeLeche
Review: All I can say is that this book and the help from the woman in LaLache. I had 4 children..the first I tried to nurse in the hospital, and he wouldn't latch on...the nurses had NO patience, no knowledge, no help...they told me I had inverted nipples, baby would never nurse....and I ended up crying there in the hospital, overwhelmed that I couldn't nurse my baby...then I had three more children...and didn't even try...because I thought I couldn't...then I moved to Franklin Park, Il...met some women from Leleche...and was pregnant again...after going to meetings, reading this book some 38 years ago...I was bound and determined to nurse this new baby....and I did and was successful...nursing the next three ... until toddler stage and the last one until he was 3...what a joy it was...and a blessed relationship...so all I can say is if a woman WANTS to breast feed, this book can and will help you...if you don't want to or are looking for a excuse to quit or because you need more time for yourself...then you would be wasting your time buying the book....I was successful for my last three babies in nursing and wish the same for any mother who really wants this experience..YOU CAN DO IT. (the informtion in this book and the additional support is what I needed)My second child was handicapped...and he cried and cried and cried...I would give anything if I would have known and had the support to nurse him...it could have made such a difference in his infant stage when he had such a rough time....Dolores
Rating:
Summary: This book will SAVE the WORLD
Review: This should be mandatory reading for every expecting parent! It covers ALL the technical stuff about breastfeeding, including every question and obstacle imaginable. Advice for working moms, moms of twins, nursing babies with handicaps and other special conditions, nursing toddlers, weaning with love, etc. It has a special chapter on the role of the father in child-rearing and covers social and family issues around the subject of breastfeeding. If every mom could empower herself and her child by breastfeeding, the world would be a better place.
Rating:
Summary: working mom firendly and information instead of advice
Review: A lot of poeple have written in thier review of this book that it isn't working mom friendly, but I ahven't found that to be true. I have always worked outside the home, and La Leche League has always been very supportive, as is this book. Like the books begins, take what you like and leave the rest! I think it has helpful hints about breastfeeding, and also good stories so that you know not only you are watching the repeat of the news at 3 am!
Rating: 
Summary: Preachy, judgemental worldview presentation
Review: While this book does contain useful information about breastfeeding, it is presented in tandem with an entire world view, ethos, life plan... call it what you will... that was almost enough to turn me completely off the idea of breastfeeding. Certainly it was enough to make me fear going to a La Leche League meeting, though I'm told that the groups aren't all as bad as this book (thank god!) Basically, this book has two points it tries to get across: (1) if you don't mother the LLL way, you're wrong and harming your baby. This entails sleeping with your child in your bed until the child decides it's time to move to his/her own room, never EVER leaving your baby with a bottle of expressed breastmilk (it's just not the nurturing WAY!), following the extreme version of attachment parenting, and of course, let's not forget, letting your child nurse until he/she decides to stop (or until they go away to college). Point (2) is: If for any reason, you fail to breastfeed, it's your fault and you're a horrible mother. You didn't try hard enough. Your child will probably be sickly and frail and you have noone to blame but yourself. Now, don't get me wrong, I am pro-breastfeeding, even for extended periods of time and I think that some things about attachment parenting are great, but seriously, this book should not call itself the _Womanly Art of Breastfeeding_, but rather _Be A Mother Like Us, or Else, and This Means How We Breastfeed Too_
Rating:
Summary: My breastfeeding bible!
Review: Thank goodness for this comprehensive book on breastfeeding! I have several others and none have given me the concrete knowledge and feeling of "I can do it" that this one has. La Leche League is an organization that promotes attachment parenting and is obsessively pro-breastfeeding, but it you can get beyond the preachiness, you'll find that you have a sound, basic guide to all apects of nursing. From bringing your newborn home to starting solids to weaning (including info on working, nursing multiples, and how fathers can bond) it's all here. One of my own experiences: when I found a lump in one of my breasts while nursing, I consulted this book while waiting for my doctor appointment and was hugely relieved after reading about the rarity of cancer in nursing women and the explanations of several types of benign cysts it probably was. I also especially like the section on the benefits of breastfeeding for both the infant and mother. You will not find a better lay explanation of how breastmilk positively affects your baby anywhere, in my opinion. I highly recommend this book for any nursing mother who has questions. While, as I stated before, LLL is sometimes pushy in its advocacy of breastfeeding, they are also a wonderful resource. I called our local chapter a few times and was met with pleasant enthusiasm and given wonderful advice.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Info, but with a lot of bias
Review: La Leche League is not just a breastfeeding support group -- it is a philosophy of parenting. This book strongly supports that philosophy, i.e., co-sleeping, nonspanking, stay-at-home-moms, no-intervention births, etc. Only about half the book is dedicated to breastfeeding information, and even that is a little bit disjointed. For a more concise and to-the-point resource solely about breastfeeding, I found The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins to be much more helpful.
Rating:
Summary: "Making a Choice"
Review: Thank goodness my husband hid this book from me after I broke down in tears after consulting it. This book is LLL propoganda. New mothers feel guilt, conflict, frightened, etc. and the last thing they need is a book that promotes self doubt. If you don't believe everything the LLL preaches this book is not for you. The actual breast feeding information is helpful, but the sanctimonious preaching about how you and your family should live your lives is not. It's been 6 months since I've laid eyes on my copy -- and this morning I read Chapter 9. Their promotion of stay at home mothering is all well and good (I wish it was an option) -- but please -- I can STILL nurse my baby and bond with her. She's 8 monthts old today and I work full time, I pump, and she's had nothing but breast milk. She's perfectly happy, content, healthy and well adjusted. YOU CAN WORK and breast feed exclusively. I'm sure there is another book out there for you to read -- OR consult a lactation specialist. Unless you want to feel crummy about yourself, don't get this book.
Rating:
Summary: My Little Helper
Review: This Book was my little helper for about the past 5 years straight. I have had two daughters and breastfed to both of them. If I had a question, this is the book I turned to, it had all my answers. It helped me become an artist at breastfeeding.
|
