52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Myths, negativity, and made-up advice, September 16, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver (Paperback)
While I liked some things, including nice information on breastfeeding in public, I found this book negative and full of assertions not supported by research. She is obsessed with food sensitivities, covering them in 14 sections and attributing every whimper to something mom ate. Research does not support her theories!
Other suggestions are not supported by research, including drinking more water to boost supply. (It can have the opposite effect if you drink too much -- such as Martin's crazy recommendations to drink 8 to 10 ounces per hour.) On p. 277 she lists among ways you can tell if baby is getting enough milk that stools have an odor more sweet than foul. Once baby is eating solids, they'll always be foul. Here she tells the mother to drink 8 ounces of water every two hours(inconsistent with previous recommendation) to increase supply. These are not the standard evidence-based suggestions for improving supply.
On page 96, she tells a mother with cracked, bleeding nipples to circle the six-week date (when she can stop breastfeeding, according to Martin) on her calendar. She describes the pain as normal; while some degree of discomfort may be (research is not conclusive on this), cracked and bleeding nipples are not. In fact, on page 186, she herself says that pain during breastfeeding is not normal. Why all the inconsistencies?
Under "Milk: Low Supply," you're making enough milk if baby producing 8 to 12 wet and poopy diapers in 24 hours. She later says that baby must poop at least four times a day. Evidence-based guidelines are two to five poopy diapers per day in the first six weeks (after which some babies poop less frequently), and 6-8 wet cloth diapers or 5-6 wet disposables.
The section on traveling by air, p. 292-293, is bizarre. If baby won't nurse, it recommends a lollipop. You want me to use a choking hazard and cavity-causer for a baby? Also says to bring bottles for water and expressed milk. "If he absolutely refuses a bottle, you'll need to nurse him on takeoff and landing." She also advises bringing a manual pump to express between flights. This is confusing given the book's upbeat advice on nursing in public. Why make work when breastfeeding makes it so easy? With my formula-fed child, I had a screaming baby, mad fellow passengers, and too many things to juggle. With my breastfeeding children, no one knew I had a baby on the plane (so many people said, "Where was she?" when we deplaned)and I was so relaxed -- no supplies to juggle.
I was shocked by the advice to see (i.e., PAY) a lactation consultant for swaddling advice!
These are just a few of the many, many oddities. I wish the author had done her homework before writing the book, as it is organized nicely and could have been a valuable resource.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than the "What to Expect When" series!, September 18, 2000
This review is from: The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver (Paperback)
Finally a book about nursing that doesn't waste time congratulating you on making the choice to nurse, but rather spends the time focusing on real questions and problems that face nursing moms! I found the book incredibly helpful even as a practiced nursing mom and wished that I had had it available when not-so-practiced. The format is easy to follow, and the content clear, concise, and REAL. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is even considering nursing.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wealth of sources, March 2, 2001
This review is from: The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver (Paperback)
As the mother of a 35-month-old boy who still enjoys nursing, I've read several books and chapters of books devoted to nursing. I've also benefitted from the advice of well-informed La Leche League leaders. I wish, however, that Claire Martin's book, The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver, was available before I gave birth. Martin covers a large array of situations, drawing from a wide variety of excellent sources. The easy-to-use format is a blessing for weary parents of newborns and I was pleased to read so many common-sense (and fact-based) answers to questions that arise at various stages of a nursing child's life.
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