Customer Reviews

So That's What They're For!: The Definitive Breastfeeding Guide 3rd edition

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I am one of those working mothers facing a highly anti-breastfeeding boss and environment following my first pregnancy. I lived several hours from my nearest female relative and was loathe to ask strangers for advice. I didn't know that what just seemed like an awkward starting phase in the first days and weeks of breastfeeding my daughter, was really the beginning of the end to our breastfeeding relationship. I didn't know anything was really wrong, and if I had, I wouldn't have known how to fix it.

So, I bought this book during my second pregnancy. I'd since moved even further from my close female relatives but really wanted to make breastfeeding work this time around. I remember all-too-vividly my daughter crying from hunger after I'd nursed her inadequately, the cost of formula, the stains and odors which accompanied formula-feeding. I wanted to breastfeed my son, and get it right.

(I want to interject here that I'm not forcing my decision on anyone else. I'm not some sort of militant wacko with an agenda of breastfeeding for everyone, everywhere. I nursed my song for 12-1/2 months at which point we were both ready to give it up.)

Anyway, this book made a HUGE difference. I learned what the difference was between discomfort and pain. I learned what a good "latch-on" was supposed to be like. I learned that other women had to work to make breastfeeding successful, too.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in breastfeeding her baby. If you're not interested in breastfeeding, you shouldn't be reading this book. It will teach you how to breastfeed successfully. But, make the decision first, then get advice on how to do it well.

This book offers a light-hearted fun spirted approach to breastfeeding--something that we can all use... but it doesn't quite go far enough to answer all the questions a new mom will have when it comes to breastfeeding. As a mom who has nursed three babies to date--all for over a year--here are some additional books I recommend, as well as some places where you can get support from real moms:

The Nursing Mother's Companion
The Breastfeeding Answer Book
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
Working Mother, Nursing Mother

There is a website called kellymom that is also good for searching about breastfeeding information...I highly recommend it.

Two yahoogroups you can search for are breastfeeding and pumpmoms, go to the site and do a search... both provide invaluable advice from moms who have "been there, done that."

The books mentioned are really much better resources for problem solving and understanding how breastfeeding works...how to do it...what to do if you have problems. (And many of us do...and we can get beyond them... and it's very rare for a woman to have a problem that can't be fixed.)

I hope this list helps you find some additional options. This really is a nice book--it just stops short of being completely useful. It is worth reading, and is very enjoyable. It's just not a book for solving problems. :)

I really liked this book, mostly because the other breastfeeding or parenting books I had made me feel completely inadequate abotu breastfeeding. Am I doing it correctly? Am I doing it often enough? How is my technique? etc. etc. This book is realistic in its approach, and the author shares a lot of funny personal stories which made me feel more normal. I read most of the book while breastfeeding and it took me a week to finish - it goes fast. The one down side is there isn't a lot of specifics should you run into problems...particularly medical problems, just a brief statement like, "see your doctor... and I'm sorry." (I remember this quote from when she was talking about galactosemia in the infant. I remember thinking how dissappointing that would be to an affected mother who read that.) Also, she cites some interesting websites in the back - but a lot are Canadian, so you can spend extra $$ in shipping. This would be a good book for a mother to be who isn't sure if she can hack breastfeeding - it gives a much needed pep talk without being overbearing or dogmatic.

I read an earlier edition of this book when I was pregnant with my son - when I was still convinced that breastfeeding was something I would "try". What an eye-opener! This book not only convinced me to dedicate my and my baby's first months to breastfeeding, but that it would make my life easier. And it did!

Updated review: I would change my rating to 4 stars now...

I gave a 4 star rating only because the subtitle "The Definitive Breastfeeding Guide 3rd edition" is a little misleading. This isn't a definitive guide. If you want definitive, buy yourself a copy of "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Seventh Revised Edition (La Leche League International Book)" by La Leche League International. That is a no nonsense-this-is-how-to-do-it-and-what-to-do-if-you're-stumped guide. I also own that book and it reads like a dictionary. I used it for diagnosing problems as they arose. I think it's also a valuable resource to own.

"So That's What They're For" is great for first time mothers who need encouragement to make the best decision for their infant's nutritional needs. It doesn't absolve new mothers of their guilt should they choose to formula-feed. It lays out all the facts - breastmilk is best and if you choose anything else, you're choosing substandard infant nutrition. There's no way around that.

I truly believe that if I hadn't read this book, I wouldn't have been so determined to breastfeed. It probably saved my nursing relationship with my son. We were a nursing pair for 2 1/2 years. The information gleaned from this book got me through the worst two months of my life - my son's first two months of breastfeeding. I cried through nearly every feeding in those two months - not due to post-partum depression. But because I wanted to give up because it was so hard and so exhausting. Because of this book, we made the decision not to keep bottles or formula in the house as a back up plan. It saved us countless times from giving in to the temptation to formula-feed or even to pump and bottle-feed.

This book isn't about teaching women how to nurse, but WHY they should nurse. It's empowering and a must-read for everyone considering breastfeeding. If you're going to succeed, you need to have the conviction to follow through. This book is a great motivating tool for mothers who are unsure of their ability to breastfeed.

When my friend handed this book down to me I thought "A whole book on breastfeeding? How much can there possibly be to learn? And how will I ever make it through the whole book?"
Well, there is a lot to learn but this book made it enjoyable. It is an easy read and offers great advice on breastfeeding and dealing with a newborn in general. I breezed through this book and before I knew it I had a wealth of knowledge in the breastfeeding department. My stance on breastfeeding before I read this book was "Well, I'll try it, but if I'm not able to do it I won't be devastated." Now I know that most women "can" breastfeed if they want and only about 5% of the population have serious enough problems that they actually cannot physically continue breastfeeding. It has made my decision a much more definite one which I believe you will need in order to get through those first few weeks of breastfeeding.
Don't be scared of this book! It's great and you will get through it in a breeze.

3 Kids and 5 breastfeeding books later... I wish I had this one the first time around. Finally a book that tells it like it is. I did'nt want to go to medical school, I just wanted to feed my kids, this book gives you the facts the way a good friend would give them to you, with out feeling like you are reading a medical journal. I credit this book with being able to succesfully breastfeed my last 2. Don't waste your money like I did just buy this one first.

I have the 2nd edition and so maybe the 3rd is a huge improvement, but I didn't find this book helpful at all. It's basically one long cheerleading book for breastfeeding. I am fully in favor of breastfeeding, but whenever I would turn to this book for some actual helpful, specific information, all I got was more encouragement to breastfeed. Yeah, I AM doing that and everyone is being supportive, thanks, now how about some actual real world help? I found it really irritating.

Of all the breastfeeding books I got - and there were 10s of them - this is the only one that I read cover to cover. It really helped me through the jungle of breastfeeding advice and I cannot recommend it more strongly! It also makes a great gift to a new or expecting mother.

If your thinking about breastfeeding this is a must read! it tell you the honest truth. The good and the bad. The author provides why breastfeeding is really the best, yet doesn't condemn if you don't breastfeed just so. I wish I had read here book before my son was born. It would have preventing me from following some well mean advice that was wrong.

I have then as a shower gift to any mother I think might want to breastfeed. I have give 4 copy already.

Excellent advice, facts and instruction on how to breastfeed from a witty point of view. Very easy to read and keeps you entertained, as well! I read many, mnay books on breastfeeding and most were very textbook-like, so this book was by far my favorite!!