I breastfed all three of my children well into toddlerhood and was very active in LLL for several years. This book does have helpful information, but if you don't completely subscribe to LLL's basic philosophy (breastfeeding on demand until the child chooses to wean, having no scheduled separations from the child because then you might not be available for nursing at the exact moment the child wanted to, a very limited role for fathers, etc.), the book will seem judgmental. In addition, the book often does not seem sympathetic to mothers who face what seem like overwhelming problems. Their assurances that you can work things out no matter what can be guilt inducing rather than helpful. Actually talking to LLL leaders can be great--I've gotten some wonderful help from some. On the other hand, I've know others who were either not knowlegable enough to be helpful, gave too much information, or who were jugmental and unsupportive of mothers who made choices they didn't like (such as working outside the home). One cannot be an LLL leader if one has had scheduled separations from baby (like working), so many leaders have strong feelings about how you should parent, and their personal feelings can get inthe way of being helpful to moms who work, want to wean, have to go on a trip without the baby, etc. In the book itself, I also find that the use of "he" to refer to all children is annoying--they say it's for clarity because the mom is always "she," but in the chapter on dads, they still refer to babies as he, and somehow the references are still clear. LLL has a tendency to put women in the secondary position of fulfilling their womanliness solely by serving the needs of others. I think The Nursing Mother's Companion is a better book for the nursing mom. It's helpful and practical, and while the author is very pro-breastfeeding, you don't feel like there's a hidden agenda lurking beneath the advice. The non-breastfeeding oriented decisions you make about how to run your life and family don't really enter into the discussion, while in LLL's book, these other issues are front and center. If you don't want a whole life philosophy along with breastfeeding advice, The Nursing Mother's Companion is a better book.
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