Boost Your Breast Milk: An All-in-One Guide for Nursing Mothers to Build a Healthy Milk Supply

by Alicia C. Simpson

I want to breastfeed my baby, but will I be able to?   Every mom wants to produce enough nutritious milk for her tiny one—but many worry about low milk supply and other potential hurdles. In Boost Your Breast Milk, you’ll find the most up-to-date practices that support a healthy milk supply for baby and a healthy mom.Clear, calm advice on breastfeeding—preparing to nurse, latching techniques, when to feed, and moreHow to spot and manage the causes of low supply and milk slumps—from mastitis to your baby’s natural growth spurtsWhat to eat when you’re nursing—from superfoods like avocado to naturally lactogenic (milk-boosting) foods like oats and papayaPlus, 75 recipes packed with goodness that the whole family can enjoy!A healthy beginning starts now!

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Cooking

386 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 7, 2017

Reviews

[Caroline Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Required reading for my doula certification. I like that she talks about the benefits of carbs and fats, but I don’t appreciate how she recommends tons of plant based stuff and nut milks. In my opinion, we need a healthy balance of animal products in our diet.

[Jenna Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really more helpful than talking to lactation or my OB. Honestly, this is way more time consuming and had a lot of information that didn’t relate to my situation. Also, the recipes, not realistic for the most part. I’m just looking for a simple cookie recipe or a morning muffin. Not looking to search the health food store aisle for special ingredients. That could just be me.

[Alexandria Irwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting, especially for first time moms. Learned some things I didn’t know even after nursing 3 kids, but I skimmed some.

I love nutrition science so the focus on individual foods and recipes was fascinating. I don’t completely agree with her food values- she seems to be a vegan of sorts. (Personally I think it would be healthier to prioritize animal proteins instead of all those nut/seed/veggies she talks about, though those are healthy too.)

I really agree with what she said about early introduction of solids. I also like how she said that it’s just better for the milk supply for babies to wake up multiple times per night so we shouldn’t fight it (at least I try to convince myself of that as I drag myself out of bed multiple times a night hehe).

I just stick with what comes naturally for most things and she seems to align with that, which I feel is an unpopular opinion. The herb stuff was cool too!

Overall it was helpful and interesting.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, to-the-point guide written by not just a lactation consultant, but she is also a registered dietitian!
In addition to some great recipes, there is a breastfeeding 101 section and top myths around low milk supply. Simpson does not mince words however, there a few lines about moms not needing breaks from baby or a full night's sleep that aren't very forgiving for moms who may, in fact, need a break. But if you can get past those, this is a super guide (with 12 pages of citations!) that walks you through tons of nutritional info and aims to keep you breastfeeding as long as you want to.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down the best book about breastfeeding that I found (and good Lord, I read a lot) - I used it for both of my babies. Lots of info (but not too much! Sweet Jesus, get to the point if your audience is sleep deprived parents) that's really easy to understand and great tips that were manageable and actually had a positive impact. I get this for my new parent friends and I'm mostly saving it here so I can remember the title. (Honestly, the title is terrible - it sounds gimmicky but the book is not that at all)

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Palatable read for normal people like me. In the nutrition section, I appreciated the clarity on which foods were research based, mildly researched, or only anecdotal. Plus having the side effects noted helped me cross off a few lactogenic foods.

I wish more of the recipes were simpler. Many have random specialty foods added that I'm never going to buy. However I did find about 10 recipes I'd likely make. So there's good variety if you want to be simpler or if you want to get fancy.

I'd also be interested in a newer edition with newer nutritional findings, since this is from 2017.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was looking for a book that could help me see what to eat after birth and this was it. As a vegetarian, I appreciated that she had a plant based focus. And having family in the US and India suggesting nutrition tips for postpartum I found her myth busting especially helpful.

[Kathleen H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned many new facts about breastfeeding. This was a very nice introduction on how it's done and what to avoid. Also I really enjoyed the lactogenic foods.

[Fatima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot from this book about being a new breastfeeding parent! Very good tips and helpful encouragement!

[EMitro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful book for new moms. It helped me a lot with my breastfeeding experience.

[Katie Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good introduction book to boosting milk supply.
If you've already done a lot of research into Galactagogue's and Lactogenic foods, this may be to basic for you.

[Goldenrod · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and easy to read.

[Vernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resourceful book for boosting breastmilk production!

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an easy, quick read, but the information was extremely basic and i didn’t learn much from it. The good part was the section with recipes and the few pages she discussed actual herbs/foods for boosting milk.
If i had to choose a title for the book it would be something towards nutrition, not boosting milk supply.