The Nursing Mother's Companion, 7th Edition, with New Illustrations: The Breastfeeding Book Mothers Trust, from Pregnancy Through Weaning

by Kathleen Huggins

Respected for over 30 years as the definitive guide, now more than ever, The Nursing Mother's Companion is the go-to guide every new mother should have at hand. Breastfeeding is natural, but it is not always instinctive for either mothers or babies. The Nursing Mother's Companion has been among the best-selling books on breastfeeding for more than 30 years, with more than 1 million copies sold. It is respected and recommended by professionals, including The International Lactation Consultant Association, T. Berry Brazelton and The American Academy of Pediatrics, and is well loved by new parents for its encouraging and accessible style.

Kathleen Huggins equips breastfeeding mothers with all the information they need to overcome potential difficulties and nurse their babies successfully from the first week through the toddler years, or somewhere in between. This fully updated and revised edition provides information on topics such

Benefits of breastfeedingHow to cope with breastfeeding obstacles and challengesIncorporating a nursing routine into working lifeTreating postpartum headaches and nauseaNutritional supplements to alleviate postpartum depressionSharing a bed with baby (co-sleeping) and the risk of SIDSIntroducing solid foodsExpressing, storing, and feeding breast milkReviews of breast pumpsYou will also find Huggins's indispensable problem-solving "survival guides" set off by colored bands on the pages for quick reference, as well as appendices on determining baby's milk needs in the first six weeks and the safety of various drugs during breast-feeding. Plus, this edition opens with a new Foreword by Jessica Martin-Weber, creator of the very popular website The Leaky Boob and a new Preface by Kelly Bonata, creator of the go-to site KellyMom. These two much-loved authorities speak to the importance of owning an authoritative breastfeeding book that cuts through the jumble of opinions, information and misinformation on the web.

Genres: Parenting

448 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2017

About the author

For more than twenty-five years, Kathleen Huggins, R.N., M.S., I.B.C.L.C., has dedicated her medical career to helping mothers care more effectively for their newborn babies. A registered nurse with an M.A. in perinatal care from the University of California at San Francisco, Huggins has spent the past two decades as a perinatal clinical specialist and board-certified lactation consultant at San Luis Obispo General Hospital in California. During this time she co-directed Breastfeeding Warmline, a telephone counseling service for nursing mothers. Huggins has also worked as a college instructor of fetal-newborn development, and has lead seminars on a variety of topics related to perinatal care and breastfeeding.

Huggins is owner of the maternity store Simply Mama. She is the author of several books on breastfeeding and has sold more than one million copies. She lives in California with her husband and youngest child.

Reviews

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found some info helpful but found much of the material to be redundant. It could be because I read this during night feedings — hello, exhaustion. My guess is that there are other breastfeeding books that are more helpful than this one.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with what others said; I know the book is meant to be dipped in and out of for relevant sections but I read this before I had our baby. I wanted to read it all so I was prepared and whole sections are repeated word for word.

Also, I felt at times, the text was judgemental or negative towards formula feeding. I tried to breastfeed my first but due to birth trauma and low supply, I had to formula feed. Sections that started with “mothers who fail to pump adequately” or the whole part about formula fed babies have poor vagal nerve tone and therefore developmentally behind, were too shaming for me. Had I read this before I was forced to formula feed, I would have been very anxious about my first born’s development. However, now that she’s 19 months and well ahead of many milestones (and that of breastfed babies in our mamas group) I know that if you have to formula feed, your kiddo will still be happy and healthy.

[Kaiti Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is very informative and I appreciate how the author is so encouraging and promoting of breastfeeding as well as other choices you may make along the way. There are so many great tips about every stage and great resources included. She is VERY pro breast feeding but with that comes incredible encouragement not to stop or use formula except in very specific circumstances.

There were sections that were just copy and pasted though. But that was almost reassuring for me.

[AmandaChristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

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