The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Sixth Revised Edition (Paperback)

by Gwen Gotsch (Author), Judy Torgus (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Here's the 35th-anniversary edition of the big book on breastfeeding, written by the experts at La Leche League International. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding is a comprehensive resource guide providing just about everything you need to know about how--and why--to breastfeed your baby. Latch on to this book for step-by-step guides to early months, common concerns, problems, and weaning. Additional sections on general nutrition, sleep issues, going back to work, discipline, and fathering are useful for all breastfeeding mothers. Unfortunately the black-and-white photos are not always as clear as they should be, and the informative line-drawings are too scarce.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Plume; 6 edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452279089
• ISBN-13: 978-0452279087
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (97 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43,819 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive book on breastfeeding, September 28, 1997

By A Customer

This book covers just about every situation that could happen in the normal course of breastfeeding (as well as lots of special circumstances). From how to get breastfeeding off to a good start all the way through to starting solids and weaning, you can find just about any information on breastfeeding you need.

Are you a working mom and need information on the mechanics of pumping and storing breastmilk? The answer is here. Are you an at-home mom and need suggestions on how to meet the needs of your baby while still taking care of the house, other children, your husband, and yourself? A myriad of suggestions are offered.

Want to know how various choices in childbirth options can affect getting breastfeeding off to a good start? Look no further. If you're having a problem (thrush, mastitis, overactive letdown, etc.), this book is full of helpful tips and suggestions to help you overcome the problem.

While this is a wonderful book for the breastfeeding mother to read, it's even better for the expectant mother to read---being prepared with knowledge and information ahead of time can help a mother avoid problems and have a wonderful breastfeeding relationship with her baby from the very beginning.

This book should be on the bookshelf of every expectant or breastfeeding mother.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book!, January 31, 2000

By	Danielle Quinn (Hayward, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

As a first-time expectant mother, I naturally have a zillion questions about everything concerning my unborn baby. Every question I had about breastfeeding was answered in this Bible of Breastfeeding. Not only does this book tell you why, how, and when to breastfeed, but it covers all aspects of breastfeeding (how to overcome difficulties, how to know when your child is getting enough milk, etc...). I must admit that I was VERY anti-La Leche League, but as a result of reading this fabulous book, I am now a LLL member and attend meetings regularly. There ARE some things in the book (and at the meetings) that I disagree with (I plan to schedule my baby and he won't sleep with me at night), but I feel totally at liberty to just take things that make sense to me and to disregard what doesn't. This book is easy to read and a MUST for all expectant mothers! Don't wait until after the baby comes, get it the moment you find out you're pregnant!

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Complete and Empowering Book on Breastfeeding, November 21, 1999

By	Becky (California) - See all my reviews

What an empowering book! There are a lot of books out there now that talk about breastfeeding, but this one is by far my favorite. Like all the others, it has technical information about the many benefits of breastfeeding, positioning your baby, going back to work, and how to get help if you need it, but it goes so far beyond that! This book shares the incredible joy and sense of physical connection that are unique to the breastfeeding relationship, and is one of the few books I've read that affirms the tremendous importance of mothers to their babies. If you're thinking about breastfeeding and want more information, if you know you want to breastfeed and need to learn more (and PLEASE educate yourself before your baby is born -- breastfeeding is something that both mothers and babies can only learn by doing, and information is your ally!) or whether you're a proud breastfeeding mom who wants to share the experience of others in your mothering community, this book has so much to offer you. Breastfeeding has been a transformative experience for me, despite (or perhaps because of) early breastfeeding difficulties I had to overcome with both of my children. It was because of the wealth of wisdom and information in this book, and because of other help I received from La Leche League, that I was able to breastfeed successfully. I am deeply grateful to this organization, and amazed by what they've accomplished, particularly since I found out they're staffed almost entirely by volunteers.