Customer Reviews

The Better Way to Breastfeed: The Latest, Most Effective Ways to Feed and Nurture Your Baby with Comfort and Ease

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I have read a lot of breastfeeding books over the years and this one stands above the rest. This book is so graphically appealing to me and has such a common sense, supportive approach that it is the one I frequently lend out to breastfeeding mothers I work with. This book avoids two common pitfalls that other books have - many make breastfeeding seem so technological and others are so focused on problems.

I know if I am going to read something as special and endearing as breastfeeding, I want it to be filled with pictures and lots of white space and a format that makes it easy to pick-up and put down for the tiny amounts of time new mothers have. I find other books overwhelming with small pictures and narrow margins and generally a non-inspirational tone. I feel that this book is like sharing time with a supportive friend.

I love the inclusion of affirmations and the checklists - I feel like both sides of my brain have been addressed (the practical and the emotional!) The pages overflow with helpful hints and tips.

I was looking for a real visual manual for a first-time mom, something that would complement and reinforce a class, something I could refer to at 3 a.m. I was lured to purchase this one by the little blue seal on the cover which promised "more than 150 photos and illustrations show the best techniques and strategies." Well there are definitely more than 150 photos, but all they show you are adorable babies and adoring moms - 99% of the photos have nothing whatsoever to do with the text, and are not at all instructional. Cute, but not helpful. There are a few illustrations (about a dozen), but I found them to be quite pointless -- such as illustrations of a good latch from the inside of the baby's mouth (while providing no visual reference anywhere in the book of what it should look like from the mom's view), one of a hands-free pump, and sign language for milk. Others would have been more helpful as photos, such as how to nurse multiples simultaneously, and positioning. At first I thought this was for modesty, but no -- there are many photos throughout the book that proved me wrong. For what's supposed to be an instructional guide, I found it seriously lacking.