Spilled Milk: Breastfeeding Adventures and Advice from Less-Than Perfect Moms [Paperback]

Andy Steiner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2005

Wildly funny tales and practical wisdom from the author's and other women's breastfeeding experiences-to reassure readers that there is no one way to be a great breastfeeder

In this perfect antidote to "lactivist" propaganda, award-winning writer Andy Steiner weaves together hysterical anecdotes and tips from the trenches to offer comfort and realistic advice to new nursing moms. Spilled Milk will help them understand that not all babies are going to "get it" right away, that breastfeeding can hurt even if you're doing it correctly, and that baring your breasts in public will actually become shamefully easy with time.

Steiner writes: "Looking back at my milky adventure, I realize now that while breastfeeding is a natural act, it's also a difficult one. And after amassing an impressive collection of how-to breastfeeding books, nipple shields, lactation consultants, breast pumps, nursing bras, storage bags, and wicked breast infections, I can only say that the one thing that was missing from the experience was a book that could tell me-in a casual, non-preachy tone-that I wasn't alone, that everything was going to be okay." That is the book that Steiner has written.

Her fresh viewpoint; casual, girlfriend-to-girlfriend advice; and the book's great price make Spilled Milk the ultimate shower gift for moms-to-be.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Finally! A commonsense book on breastfeeding that abandons dreary, holier-than-thou approaches and instead embraces what's loving, healthy, and wonderful about one of the coolest ways to relate to your baby. Just relax, get real, and take the practical, lively advice from mom Andy Steiner. You'll be fine!" --Pamela Hill Nettleton, editor, Beginnings: Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond and mother of three children (all breastfed, all healthy, all grown, none of them chainsaw murderers)

"Like a rollicking conversation with your best girlfriends-honest, intimate, and hilarious-Andy Steiner's down-to-earth guide to breastfeeding is a refreshing blend of straight talk and practical wisdom." --Karen Olson, editor, Utne magazine

"If you're having a baby, do yourself a favor--ditch some of the mommy manuals and read this instead." --Monika Bauerlein, senior editor, Mother Jones

"Andy Steiner is the woman to turn to for all the nursing issues that get glossed over. In the weirdly political world of breastfeeding, Steiner stands out as a sympathetic compadre. She knows the difficulties, the rewards, and the judgments that come with infant feeding." --Jennifer Niesslein and Stephanie Wilkinson, editors, Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers

"In this spirited mamafesto, Andy Steiner boldly and wisely challenges myths not only about the process and protocol of breastfeeding itself, but about what our culture expects-often unfairly-of its mothers. Steiner and her fellow breastfeeders share their stories of both the joys and the, well, letdowns of lactation in voices that are so blunt, sassy, and loving you'll want to keep them around even after the breast pumps and nursing bras are packed away." --Andi Zeisler, editor, Bitch magazine

"This is not your mother's how-to book about breastfeeding! Andy Steiner is a fresh voice: lively, informative, sassy, personal. The result is a book that will empower and comfort women who are breastfeeding, or thinking about it, and will even engage and inform those who aren't." --Mollie Hoben, founding publisher, Minnesota Women's Press

"Andy Steiner's brave and honest book is a helpful companion during the
tenuous process of learning to nurse, and learning to accept the social
awkwardness about exposing our breasts that ironically pervades our
culture. I smiled in recognition. I was heartened by her attitude and
suggestions." --Nanci Olesen, producer and host, MOMbo, a radio resource for moms

"This is a wonderfully wide-ranging book. Women who love breastfeeding, those who find it incredibly difficult, strange, or painful; and those who don't yet know what they will decide or experience, will all feel welcome in Spilled Milk.... If you've ever breastfed, or thought you might, this is a book you'll want to read."
--Faulkner Fox, author, Dispatches from a Not-So-Perfect Life

"Instead of guilting moms with ‘best for baby’ moralizing, Steiner serves up a warm chat-fest of real-life mama experiences that help readers make fully-informed choices. And because of its big-picture look at breastfeeding's impact on sex, love, and life in general, this book provides an engaging preview of life during Babytime that any would-be mom will prize." --Helen Cordes, editor, Daughters magazine

"I loved this book. It's humorous, honest, and empowering without being unrealistic. It paints a very full, complex, and real picture of what it's like to breastfeed--and that's exactly what moms need." --Nancy Gruver, founder and publisher, New Moon Magazine

"Spilled Milk is filled with the voices of the wise and witty girlfriends I wish I had had when my first baby was born and I was struggling to keep the milk bar open 'round the clock. It's warm, compassionate, funny, and just the thing for a late-night nurse-a-thon." --Beth Hawkins, senior editor, City Pages (Minneapolis)

"Wise, witty, deliciously reassuring. The perfect pick-me-up for mothers convinced that they're the only ones on the planet who are doing it wrong which is pretty much all of us." --Barbara Graham, author, Women Who Run with the Poodles

About the Author

ANDY STEINER, former senior editor at Utne, is a prize-winning writer whose work has appeared in publications such as Ms., Glamour, Mademoiselle, Self, and Modern Maturity. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (July 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594860408
• ISBN-13: 978-1594860409
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed!, November 6, 2005

By 

Michelle Simpson (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spilled Milk: Breastfeeding Adventures and Advice from Less-Than Perfect Moms (Paperback)

As a new mother, I purchased this book because one of the advertisements stated 'it is for those of us who think we are doing it (breastfeeding) wrong, which is all of us.' After I received the book, I couldn't put it down and once finished, I started it over again and again. Yes, I am reading it for the third time now. It is extremely motivating and forgiving. You usually see one or the other, motivating or forgiving, but in this case you got both perspectives. The book is definitely pro-breastfeeding, but it also provides testimonials of women who for one reason or another were unable to breastfeed and it shows that is ok too. I was touched by the "weaning" chapter with all the love and sweetness only us mothers will understand. I already bought two more copies and sent them to new mothers. The book really made me feel lucky and special to breastfeed my baby.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is informative, reassuring, and a fun read, August 29, 2005

By 

C. Kennedy (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spilled Milk: Breastfeeding Adventures and Advice from Less-Than Perfect Moms (Paperback)

I just finished Spilled milk. I wish it were by my side three years ago when my breastfeeding adventures began. I'm going to give it to a friend who is pregnant with her first child.
The author gives an honest look at breastfeeding, from sore nipples to mother's guilt to embarrassing public nursing tales to what happens to your breasts when it is all done.
It is a compilation of breastfeeding from many women's perspectives. Women with many different perspectives.
I highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of breastfeeding or is in the throws of breastfeeding and needs to understand it isn't always a bowl of cherries.
In the end, the book applauds any attempts you make to breastfeed and refrains from making you feel guilty about any decisions you may make to quit.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for first-time breastfeeding moms!, January 2, 2006

By 

Scarlett C. Fisher-herreman "readingredhead" (Topeka, KS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spilled Milk: Breastfeeding Adventures and Advice from Less-Than Perfect Moms (Paperback)

While my baby isn't due for another 3 months yet, I plan to breastfeed and am looking for all the helpful advice I can get. This book provides the most common-sense and enjoyable reading I've found on the complicated subject of breastfeeding. It is very funny and "down to earth." As someone who is trying my best to prepare myself for motherhood and is also an admitted perfectionist about many things, I needed a book like this to help me keep everything in perspective. Steiner is very reassuring and encouraging and offers a lot more helpful, practical advice than many of the other breastfeeding books out there. Plus she provides a great bibliography at the end for further reading! I know I will be rereading this book when my baby is born and I would highly recommend it to other new mothers.