When first-time mothers talk about their experiences breastfeeding their babies, the most frequent comment is: "I had no idea it was going to be so difficult." While nursing is natural, it is by no means instinctive, and initial attempts are often fraught with anxiety, pain, exhaustion, and the fear of failure. Establishing a successful nursing relationship depends on a woman's high degree of motivation and the availability of a support system offering her encouragement and information. To this end, The Reality of Breastfeeding, is an inspiring anthology of thematically arranged first-hand accounts by nursing mothers. It provides a community of stories about breastfeeding that mothers can consult as past generations may have consulted mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. The 50 narratives in this unique compilation address a wide range of issues concerning nursing, such as problems establishing breastfeeding, reconciling working and breastfeeding, social and cultural discouragement of the practice, and deciding when to wean--even coming to terms with unsuccessful attempts to nurse and making peace with bottle feeding. The book is utterly frank in its confrontation of the sometimes intractable problems of sore nipples, mastitis, and yeast infections, and in its discussions of the ambivalent emotions expereinced by fathers, other family members, and the mothers themselves. A table of contents featuring brief summaries of the narratives and an index make it easy for readers to find stories about particular problems they may be facing, and a bibliography provides suggestions for further reading. Neither an advice book, nor a piece of propaganda, nor a scientific study, The Realities of Breastfeeding tells vital stories--sometimes heartwrenching, sometimes joyful--on a human scale.
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Two literary scholars have compiled 50 essays by women (and two men) discussing breastfeeding. The articles are grouped into broad areas: "Latching On" talks about establishing the nursing process; "Hanging On" deals with problems such as breast infections, the effect of the mother's diet on milk flavor, and nursing twins; and "Moving On" considers issues like juggling work schedules with breastfeeding, nursing in public places, and the family dynamics of breastfeeding. The editors' introduction provides a bit of historical background, and a brief bibliography suggests books offering both practical advice and social commentary. While these personal commentaries are fairly interesting, this book is not an essential purchase; the essays are too specific and sometimes too self-involved. Women's studies collections may want to consider, but most libraries should stick with La Leche League's The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (Plume, 1997. 6th ed.) which provides practical information.?Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
“This book is emotionally intense. The authors write about determination, anger, frustration, blinding fatigue, and the abandonment of self when you fall in love with your child. Two of the women write about their feelings when they decided not to breastfeed....This articulate collection will appeal to anyone working with nursing mothers.”–Journal of Human Lactation
“This book is wonderful. It shares the experiences of different women, across time through the ages and in different cultures. It's a woman to woman book and shows how through the ages women have helped and supported women to breastfeed. It shows that breastfeeding is not a science but an art. The change in cultural practices has made it more difficult to breastfeed but despite this women are breastfeeding and the stories tell the way they coped and the magic experienced by mother and infant. Mothers to be and new mothers will love to read it.”–Naomi Baumslag, MD, MPH Author, Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding
“The Reality of Breastfeeding is a valuable addition to the growing literature on the female body and lactation. Observers of contemporary American society, as well as first-time mothers, have much to learn from this informative collection of highly readable autobiographical reflections on the pleasures and pains of nursing.”–Marilyn Yalom Author, A History of the Breast
“This book is wonderful. It shares the experiences of different women, across time through the ages and in different cultures. It's a woman to woman book and shows how through the ages women have helped and supported women to breastfeed. It shows that breastfeeding is not a science but an art. The change in cultural practices has made it more difficult to breastfeed but despite this women are breastfeeding and the stories tell the way they coped and the magic experienced by mother and infant. Mothers to be and new mothers will love to read it.”–
“The Reality of Breastfeeding is a valuable addition to the growing literature on the female body and lactation. Observers of contemporary American society, as well as first-time mothers, have much to learn from this informative collection of highly readable autobiographical reflections on the pleasures and pains of nursing.”–
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You won't need another breastfeeding book,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Reality of Breastfeeding: Reflections by Contemporary Women (Paperback)
I thought this book was absolutely fantastic. Even though it is not a "how-to" book, every situation and problem you could have breastfeeding is covered by one or more of the contributors. This book really helped me to continue with breastfeeding, even during the painful periods. I would highly recommend it. The only critique I have is that there are an awful lot of contributors from Decatur, Georgia (wherever that is!) - also the area where the authors are from. I would have liked to have at least seen more authors from different parts of the US.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Real, diverse stories of the right length for nursing moms,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Reality of Breastfeeding: Reflections by Contemporary Women (Paperback)
The editors have assembled an excellent collection of essays. They reflect a wide variety of breastfeeding experiences, and many are infused with bits of the humor nursing moms so desperately need. It was great to be able to recognize my own experience and to be amazed by the tenacity of others. Much easier to find comfort in than books intended as references and resources (though I recommend having one of those on your shelf, too). Thankfully, in among all the heroics there was even an essay of a mother who gave up breastfeeding for the bottle and made peace with it. A nice balance to the pressure of the "breast-is-best" real women can subculture!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-read for mothers struggling with breastfeeding,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Reality of Breastfeeding: Reflections by Contemporary Women (Paperback)
I don't know where the breastfeeding manuals get the information that "97% of women can breastfeed" because my experience and that of many I've talked to is that one can try awfully hard to exclusively breastfeed and still fail. With both of my children, I've had to pump, supplement, use a lactation consultant, and still had to use both bottle and breast. My first child ended up dehydrated at one point and both lost weight until interventions were started. I ended up with neither the convenience of breastfeeding nor the flexibility of bottle feeding. The harder one tries, the more deflating and discouraging it is when breastfeeding never completely clicks. So this book is a welcome find for those of us that don't fit into the so-called "97%". Its stories are real life successes and failures in breastfeeding, rather than theoretical or idealized examples. The variety of stories is so great that most mothers would find at least one story that resonates with their own experience. They reflect the true intensity of establishing breastfeeding and the hardships of the newborn period. The only mothers who might not care about these stories are those that never had any intention of breastfeeding. I met the authors at a book signing and they are neat ladies. One has decided not to have another child given her first experience. Her example is an illustration of how overwhelming the experience of breastfeeding can be when it goes wrong.
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