Customer Reviews

The Nursing Mother's Companion

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have several breastfeeding books in my library (including The womanly Art of Breastfeeding) and this one is simply the best. This is the most practical and explicitly informative book of all of them. It is organized into age groups and the issues you may face at each stage of the nursing experience. The how to's are very clear in this book. The author also discusses the pros and cons of all brands and types of breast pumps available and how each one can apply to your personal needs in a pump. There is a guide in the back to medications that may be prescribed and how safe they are while nursing. This book doesn't just focus on the "best for baby" aspects of nursing, but really gives you the practical information a new mother needs and craves. I highly reccommend this book for all nursing mothers.

I found this book so helpful that I feel compelled to write my first ever review on Amazon. Before giving birth, I planned to breastfeed and took a seminar at my doctor's office. That combined with the info received in my birthing class made me feel like I had the info I needed to forge ahead. When I received this book as a gift, I wasn't sure how much I'd use it. In fact, it turned out to be a lifesaver. Like many others, I struggled in my first weeks of breastfeeding, and it was Lansinoh and this book that helped make me ultimately successful.

Aside from the easy-to-understand information regarding latching, engorgement, and pumping, this book answered one major question I had that was not answered elsewhere. I wanted to know how to introduce a bottle. Other books discussed breastfeeding and formula-bottle feeding separately, but not how bottle feeding with breast milk related to breastfeeding. This is the only book I found that not only answered the question, but did so thoroughly and to my satisfaction.

I am a nurse practitioner, but I admit I didn't know much about breastfeeding prior to my son's birth. I bought this book a few months before my due date and would flip through it periodically when I had a topic or question I wanted more information on...and this book always had an answer.
When my son was born via C-section, the book had tips on positioning for successful breastfeeding. He was also born "tongue-tied"...again the book addressed this issue. There is a section on breastfeeding an adopted baby or baby born to a surrogate which would be informative to women who this applies to. The book is well organized in a chronological order from the prenatal period to nursing an older child and eventual weaning. There is an in depth section on medications and herbal drugs and their safety during lactation. This book is just so helpful to me, and I can't imagine a better book on this topic out there.. I agree with the previous posters that this is the Nursing Mother's Bible.

I highly recommend this book to all pregnant women and nursing moms. Like many women, I thought that nursing would simply come naturally... it would just happen. Then my husband and I had the opportunity to attend a training by Ms. Huggins during my pregnancy and decided to check it out. Boy were we glad we did!! Ms. Huggins had a wealth of information to share regarding nursing after birth, correct latching on, various nursing positions, diet, milk supply, soreness, infections, plugged ducts, and the list goes on. She includes all this information in her very accessibly written book. With both my children, it has very much been a "companion" which I refer to again and again. I especially like the thorough index which helps me to quickly locate topics at 3am!!

So, although being great at nursing doesn't necessarily come naturally, The Nursing Mother's Companion gives valuable information so that you feel much more like a natural at it.

I got this book from my sister-in-law. I read it while pregnant to get the basic understanding of breastfeeding. It was my constant companion during the early weeks and even beyond. Whenever I had a question, the book had virtually all the answers!

This book covers tips on healing sore/traumitized nipples, poor weight gain, poor latch, breastfeeding multiples, etc, the mechanics of breastfeeding..It pretty much covered every topic except working mothers. There is another book that I plan to purchase b/c of the usefulness of this book.

Also, the book did NOT make me feel bad for feeding my baby formula on the few occasions I had to during the early weeks. Instead it supports all mothers on whatever decision she makes regarding feedings.

The book is also very well-organized so that you're not fumbling with chapters to find the info you need.

Without this book, I would've been discouraged against BF. The lactation consultant at the hospital wasn't too helpful although she did note that I had flat nipples. It was this book that guided me through breastfeeding.

I was given this book by a friend when I nursed my daughter and it was the only help I needed. The lactation consultant in the hospital never nursed her children, she was no help. I used this book so much and loved it, that everytime I've had a freind that was expecting and going to nurse I purchased another book for them. It has been a lifesaver for all of them as well. Very helpful wording and illustrations.

My husband and I had our first son 6 months ago. Breastfeeding is very difficult the first time around, and this book was a great help. It was recommended by our childbirth prep class instructor, and I'm so glad we took her tip. It is very straighforward and has great lists of problems and solutions that are easy to access. It is broken up into logical sections that, again, make it very easy to find information. Huggins is thorough and concise which was very relieving when I was rather desperate for help during those first few weeks.

Hi! 8 years ago, my dad surprised me with this book and 3 others for my first pregnancy. I was trying to figure out if it was worth it or not to breastfeed. I was going to college, and my husband travels for a living. Needless to say, I went with breastfeeding. This book has come in handy, as we have run the gamot of problems. Each child had their own problem regarding breastfeeding, and instead of getting easier, each child was more of a challenge. We would look up feeding positions, spit-up, thrush, medications to use, mastitis, buying a breast pump...the whole lot. This has been a great reference book throughout my other 3 pregnancies. I have thrown out all but 4 books, and this is one of the 4. :D Also, I buy this, a pregnancy journal and the first Baby Blues collection for each of my pregnant friends for their first baby. :D Hope this helps a little!

A dear friend gifted this to me at a baby shower; she knew what she was doing. When I first began nursing my son I consulted this text on a daily basis. Ms. Huggins not only provides all the information you need to know, she doesn't balk at telling you what foods to avoid when some health professionals advise new mothers that they can eat whatever they like and that it will not affect the baby. Perhaps this was the most telling assistance for me when my son developed colic and I was looking for ways to help ease his pain. I am still able to nurse my son at ten months without ever having a sign of dwindling milk source. I know that others have either given up on nursing their children or have supplemented with formula; without the guidance from this book I might have fallen into one of those categories. To the author: thank you, thank you, thank you. Now I give this book to any pregnant friend who intends to nurse.

I've read "The womanly art of breastfeeding" by La Leche League International (an old edition) and although "The nursing mother's companion" had some good overall information the book by LLL seems to be much more involved in the details of breastfeeding and goes to great lengths to cover just about everthing you can expect with breasfeeding. I would recommend "The nursing mother's companion" maybe as a recap if you're a mother with nursing experience but would definitly go with the LLL book (the latest edition)for first time moms as I feel this book is much more comprehensive.