Customer Reviews

Great Expectations: The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book presents up-to-date information and advice from a doctor who has many years of experience in breastfeeding medicine (and who breastfed her own five children!) I loved the encouraging tone of the book. It's comprehensive yet accessible and enthusiastic yet non-judgmental. It offers everything to get breastfeeding off to a good start and to deal with any challenges or changes in the breastfeeding relationship. It covers the early days, adjusting to parenthood, pumping and storing breast milk, tips for working mothers, common breastfeeding problems, and special situations such as multiples or pre-term babies. While I wish Dr. Neifert were in favor of bed sharing, I was happy to see that she included guidelines on co-sleeping.

As a breastfeeding counselor and breastfeeding mother myself, I highly recommend this book for expecting, new and experienced mothers.

I am expecting my second child in a few weeks, and I don't think I prepared very well in my first pregnancy for breastfeeding. It's not as easy or as second-nature as some may think, so I took this book from the library as a refresher -- I'm now going to purchase it as a turn-to reference. It's not as comprehensive as some might like, but definitely gives a good overview of breastfeeding techniques, issues, solutions, etc. The information is presented in a straight-forward way (although I found many of the spreads to be too busy and I jumped around a lot), and I had no trouble paging through to find topics of interest quickly. There's a nice resources segment, too, that provides good places to turn to for extra information.

What stands out for me about this book is its lack of judgment. Many breastfeeding books and websites I've seen are dogmatic and judgmental, but this one focuses more on the practical information that I'm looking for, saying "we know stuff happens, and here's how to deal with it when it does" -- as opposed to "stuff happens because you're not doing something right...suffer through, sacrifice all for your child or you're a bad mom." Like I mentioned, I didn't find breastfeeding to be as simple as some might have you believe, and the last thing a new mother needs is a book to make her feel like a failure because breastfeeding doesn't work out.

I am a librarian and ordered this book for our adult non-fiction collection. I checked it out myself as I am expecting my second child in a month. This book is a must-have for breastfeeding moms. I like how all of the tips are consolidated into one book. With my first child, I had to get information from the internet, our son's pediatrician, a lactation consultant and other books. This is the kind of resource any new mother would love to receive as a gift.

This book is a must for every first time breastfeeding mom. It has all the information you need to know about breastfeeding and pumping without being an overkill. Every problem (and solution for it) which I encountered during my breastfeeding I found it desribed/explained in this book. I would recommended to every first time mom.

Wonderful book with great information! Easy to read and find answers to breastfeeding questions. I highly recommend this book to new breastfeeding moms like myself.

I buy this book for every expectant mother I know! Not only did it help me understand all there was to know about breastfeeding and prepare for what was to come, but it served as a terrific reference once my baby was born as well as when I went back to work. It is practical, easy to interpret, and one of the most unbiased I have seen on the shelves.

There is no finer, more qualified expert in the successful management of breastfeeding than Dr. Neifert. This book is the culmination of years of research and first-hand experience in counseling women in the art and science of breastfeeding. Whether you are a first time mother, or one whose breastfeeding was less then optimal with past experiences, you will benefit greatly by reading this book. There is no breastfeeding problem or situation not covered in this excellent text. I give my wholehearted endorsement of this guide.