Rating: 
Summary: Priceless Resource!
Review: I think that this was the best book that I read before having my first child! I was nervous about breastfeeding so I took a class. I didn't feel very confident after the class, so 3 days before my due date I bought this book. I read it cover to cover and by the time my son was born, I was very confident in myself. I went back to this book MANY times when I was having trouble for support and information. We had 7 months of sucessful breastfeeding and I don't think I could have done it with out this book as a resourse!
Rating: 
Summary: Good basic book but you can do better
Review: I think this book is OK but I think if you want an excelent book you should get Dr. Jack Newman's book The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers. It has a lot of great informaiton much of it cutting edge!
Rating:
Summary: Not that impressed
Review: I was not that impressed with this book or any of the Sears' books. When we found out I was having twins we quickly bought all the books that we thought would help. Thier books are wordy and not to the point. They also make you feel like a child abuser if you occasionally give your baby, or babies, a bottle or binkie. This book did have a few good suggestions but not enough that I would recommend it.....especially for mothers of twins or anyone with unusual circumstances. just so you know, my twins are four months and I am still breastfeeding. Good luck to you.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent help for the new nursing mother
Review: I wish I had purchased this book before my child was born! I had read several books and articles on breastfeeding, attended classes, and talked with lactation consultants but this book provided the best advice. My child was delivered by cesarean section at 37 weeks and was not particularly interested in breastfeeding. My initial attempts were difficult but with the help of a friend I was able to breastfeed successfully. However, once I went back to work I began to have difficulty keeping my milk production up and this book provided some very good advice. I like the fact that they explain things fully and include experiences from their lives and others. Again, I wished I had read this book before my child was born because I think I would have had an easier time getting started. I recomend this book to any mother who is considering breastfeeding her child.
Rating: 
Summary: Not an impossible dream
Review: I'm still breastfeeding my 10 month old with great success, and the Sears' books have been wonderful. Contrary to what some reviewers have said, you don't need to be a stay-at-home mom who never goes out and nurses 24/7. I work seasonally, and when my daughter was 4 months old, I started working 75 hour weeks for three months. I continued to exclusively breastfeed. I felt like I was pumping my breasts off, but I made it work. I battled supple issues from the time she was born, because she had latch problems due to a misaligned jaw. Fortunately, my hospital had resources to help me with this as well. I was able to take herbal supplements and drink nursing tea to help with my supply. At this point, I'm able to meet her needs all on my own. Not only that, but I've been on medication almost the entire time as well. It is possible, you just have to be committed and willing to make it work. There were times when I felt like giving up, but I stuck it out, and it's the most wonderful thing I've ever done. BTW, during the time that I was working all those hours, I continued to use just cloth diapers as well, and my husband also worked full-time. My dinner was always eaten while nursing my daughter, and as soon as I finished eating, I was back to work. We're not rich people, but very committed to doing the very best for our baby and the earth, and Dr. Sears helps us with that.
Rating:
Summary: Yeah, The Authors are Opinionated, but...
Review: It ISN"T just their opinion that breastmilk is best for babies, so if they use some strong words to get mothers to breastfeed, and help them succeed, they are only being honest.A few of these reviews made me laugh. Several reviewers criticized the authors for saying, for example, that you should nurse whenever baby is hungry... resulting in them nursing 24/7 for days on end and not eating or sleeping. Surely, as adults, we can use a little common sense to interpret what we read. Yes, parents are allowed to eat and sleep too, and nature does not intend for babies to nurse 24/7 for weeks. (Though, if the complaining mother had tried a sling, or getting some help from her spouse or friends, she could have eaten while nursing...) If co-sleeping doesn't work in your family, put baby in a crib. And as for the reviewer who said that the Sears told mothers to avoid treating illnesses so they could nurse ... I suspect she misunderstood. I don't have the book in front of me, but what I THINK they meant was that you don't HAVE to wean to treat most illnesses. The vast majority of medications are perfectly safe to use while nursing, (or have a safe alternative) yet many doctors will tell mothers that they have to wean, at least temporarily, if they are ill and need to take medication. The point is that the risk to the baby from traces of maternal medication in the milk is far, far smaller than the risk to the baby of being fed formula instead. (Even for a short while, and since few mothers are able to pump-and-dump for several weeks and then get baby back on the breast, even 'temporary' weaning very often ends up being permanent weaning.)
And comfort nursing does not teach bad habits... Yes, the Sears do encourage new mothers to stay home with their babies, if possible. But if the mother can't, she can't, and the book does discuss the issues of employed mothers. (And, to respond to another reviewer, you really CAN get out of the house during the first year while nursing on demand, comfort nursing, and using cloth diapers.) If you want a book that tells you that "breast is best, but formula is just as good, and if you just don't want to nurse, or you have some minor difficulties and want to quit, that's perfectly ok too," I'd recommend "What to Expect" or any of the other general parenting books. But if you want an honest, well-written text that promotes breastfeeding, doesn't mince words, and helps mothers to succeed, this is an excellent choice.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book if you buy into the Sears' method of discipline
Review: Like all the other books in the Sears' library, this book focuses on "attachment parenting" and it's relation to breast-feeding. Good content. You can also get a lot of this information out of their other books in the series, though. I had a lot of problems feeding my son for the first three months and it gave me a lot of encouragement. Of course, you have to buy into the Sears' parenting method which includes co-sleeping, the mom is primary caregiver, baby-wearing, timely weaning, etc. We do and it's done wonders for us! We have received many complements that our baby is always so content.
Rating:
Summary: Let's be Realistic!!!
Review: People! People! People!
I am rather disturbed after reading some of the reviews.
Let's use some commonsense and be objective, please!!! Breast-feeding is a wonderful thing.
However, please do not let 1 book become your sole reference (or make you cry for that matter) for what is potentially 1 of the most important decisions during your child's life. Please read other references.
Please consultant your doctor, nurse or lactation consultant (who generally offer free advice), and other women who have breastfed successfully. Pro's:Overall Content Good
General Problem Solving are Good Con's:Everything in this book can be found
in "The Baby Book" by Martha Sears R.N., William Sears M.D.
Problems can better be resolved by doctor, nurse/lactation consultant
(I also suggest reading: "The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver" by Claire Martin)
I have battled with:
1.Jaundice when my child was first born. (I supplemented using a bottle and continued to breastfeed).
2.Not feeling as though she was getting enough to eat (she seemed as if she cried none stop)
3.Sleepless nights (this was resolved once I learned how to nurse at night, which wasn't easy at first because she was so tiny)
4.Growth Spurts (Nursing around the clock)
5.Refusing a bottle (Even though she has had 1 since birth)
6.General overall tiredness (Which can reduce your supply, so ask for help around the house and relax a little)
7.Returning to Work (and continuing to breastfeed, while pumping when away) Through it all, I keep reading and asking questions.
Never letting any 1 source deter me from my goal.
And ultimately doing what is best for our family in any given situation.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely helps me!!
Review: Read this book slowly, it offers many good advices and tips. When I had a first child, I breastfed her for three weeks, on and off. It seemed long enough for me. I had problem with the latching on. She cried a lot and I gave up, I gave her formula feeding. With the second baby, I read this book when I was pregnant and started to breastfeed as early and often as possible and although I still had many problems and it was difficult in the first six weeks, I could eventually manage them. I also follow "sleep sharing", which really helps me. My family is abroad and nobody helped me to take care the baby. It was hard for the first few days, I could not afford to wake up at night to pick up my baby from the crib, so I took him to our bed. Our family slept well after that and I healed faster. My baby gained a lot, rarely cries, healthy and I still nurse him now at 4 months. It is especially easy to travel, I don't have to prepare bottle, water, etc.. I breastfeed him in our car in the parking lot, just before we go to supermarket/shopping mall, and we had good time. Honestly, after going through bottlefeed and breasfeed, breastfeed indeed brings me closer to the baby. Thanks Dr. Sears
Rating:
Summary: Informative, Motivating and Easy-To-Read
Review: The Breastfeeding Book does a great job of relating why it is so important to breastfeed and teaching techniques of getting started and dealing with any problems. It contains much of the same information as The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, but in a more organized and easy-to-read format (I recommend The Womanly Art as well, though). I have been nursing my baby with great success, and the information from this book has helped me to give my son the best nutritional start in life. The Sears' emphasis on attachment parenting, while off-putting to some, is actually helpful, because one of the most important (but often overlooked) keys to successful breastfeeding is to feed on cue, day and night, rather than on a schedule (and that won't keep you up all night if your baby sleeps near you- after the first few weeks most babies only need one or two nighttime feedings). Feeding on cue is what maintains your milk supply, and it often makes the difference between moms who succeed at breastfeeding and those who "just couldn't do it".
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