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Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding: From the Nation's Leading Midwife
Everything you need to know to make breastfeeding a joyful, natural, and richly fulfilling experience for both you and your baby
Drawing on her decades of experience in caring for pregnant women, mothers, and babies, Ina May Gaskin explores the health and psychological benefits of breastfeeding and gives you invaluable practical advice that will help you nurse your baby in the most fulfilling way possible. Inside you’ll find answers to virtually every question you have on breastfeeding, including topics such as
•the benefits of breastfeeding
•nursing challenges
•pumps and other nursing products
•sleeping arrangements
•nursing and work
•medications
•nursing multiples
•weaning
•sick babies
•nipplephobia, and much more
Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding is filled with helpful advice, medical facts, and real-life stories that will help you understand how and why breastfeeding works and how you can use it to more deeply connect with your baby and your own body. Whether you’re planning to nurse for the first time or are looking for the latest, most up-to-date expert advice available, you couldn’t hope to find a better guide than Ina May.
Drawing on her decades of experience in caring for pregnant women, mothers, and babies, Ina May Gaskin explores the health and psychological benefits of breastfeeding and gives you invaluable practical advice that will help you nurse your baby in the most fulfilling way possible. Inside you’ll find answers to virtually every question you have on breastfeeding, including topics such as
•the benefits of breastfeeding
•nursing challenges
•pumps and other nursing products
•sleeping arrangements
•nursing and work
•medications
•nursing multiples
•weaning
•sick babies
•nipplephobia, and much more
Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding is filled with helpful advice, medical facts, and real-life stories that will help you understand how and why breastfeeding works and how you can use it to more deeply connect with your baby and your own body. Whether you’re planning to nurse for the first time or are looking for the latest, most up-to-date expert advice available, you couldn’t hope to find a better guide than Ina May.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
528 people are currently reading
3098 people want to read
About the author
Ina May Gaskin
26 books460 followersIna May Gaskin, MA, CPM, is founder and director of the Farm Midwifery Center, located near Summertown, Tennessee. Founded in 1971, by 1996, the Farm Midwifery Center had handled more than 2200 births, with remarkably good outcomes. Ms. Gaskin herself has attended more than 1200 births. She is author of Spiritual Midwifery, now in its fourth edition. For twenty-two years she published Birth Gazette, a quarterly covering health care, childbirth and midwifery issues. Her new book, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth was released 4 March 2003 by Bantam/Dell, a division of Random House. She has lectured all over the world at midwifery conferences and at medical schools, both to students and to faculty. She was President of Midwives' Alliance of North America from 1996 to 2002. In 1997, she received the ASPO/Lamaze Irwin Chabon Award and the Tennessee Perinatal Association Recognition Award. In 2003 she was chosen as Visiting Fellow of Morse College, Yale University.
Ms. Gaskin has lectured widely to midwives and physicians throughout the world. Her promotion of a low-intervention but extremely effective method for dealing with one of the most-feared birth complications, shoulder dystocia, has resulted in that method being adopted by a growing number of practitioners. The Gaskin maneuver is the first obstetrical procedure to be named for a midwife. Her statistics for breech deliveries and her teaching video on the subject have helped to spark a reappraisal of the policy of automatically performing cesarean section for all breech babies. As the occurrence of vaginal breech births has declined over the last 25 years, the knowledge and skill required for such births have come close to extinction.
Ms. Gaskin’s center is noted for its low rates of intervention, morbidity and mortality despite the inclusion of many vaginally delivered breeches, twin and grand multiparas. Their statistics were published in “The Safety of Home Birth: The Farm Study,” authored by A. Mark Durand, American Journal of Public Health, March, 1992, Vol. 82, 450-452. She was featured in Salon magazine’s feature “Brilliant Careers” in the June 1, 1999 edition.
Ms. Gaskin has lectured widely to midwives and physicians throughout the world. Her promotion of a low-intervention but extremely effective method for dealing with one of the most-feared birth complications, shoulder dystocia, has resulted in that method being adopted by a growing number of practitioners. The Gaskin maneuver is the first obstetrical procedure to be named for a midwife. Her statistics for breech deliveries and her teaching video on the subject have helped to spark a reappraisal of the policy of automatically performing cesarean section for all breech babies. As the occurrence of vaginal breech births has declined over the last 25 years, the knowledge and skill required for such births have come close to extinction.
Ms. Gaskin’s center is noted for its low rates of intervention, morbidity and mortality despite the inclusion of many vaginally delivered breeches, twin and grand multiparas. Their statistics were published in “The Safety of Home Birth: The Farm Study,” authored by A. Mark Durand, American Journal of Public Health, March, 1992, Vol. 82, 450-452. She was featured in Salon magazine’s feature “Brilliant Careers” in the June 1, 1999 edition.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
February 5, 2011
I wish I had skipped all the other baby books and just read Ina May's Guides to Childbirth and Breastfeeding. These are the most thorough, well-written books on the subject by someone who clearly has the experience to help you with any possible challenge. The only downside to Ina May's books is that they will make you a know-it-all on the subjects in them, and I know nobody wants to sit around and listen to me prattle on about breastfeeding all day now that I feel like such an expert :)
June 9, 2024
I started this in the last trimester of my pregnancy to prepare for breastfeeding & I definitely think it helped a bit, but nothing actually prepares you for breastfeeding like doing it. I also had taken a lactation class alongside starting this, so I felt like a lot of the information I had already learned in my class, but it was helpful nevertheless. This book is INCREDIBLY biased though. I mean obviously 😂 It’s all about breastfeeding, but she often referred to formula as “manufactured milk” & just very clearly judged people who used it. It was funny because she even said at one point that breastfeeding mothers need to not judge formula feeding mothers, but the entire tone up until that point was a bit judgy 🤦♀️ Oh Ina! Anyway! It was good other than those parts. I specifically appreciated the statistics & the advice on weaning. I felt like this was also a baby guide of sorts & not just exclusive advice for breastfeeding.
January 5, 2018
A book about breastfeeding. Helpful, but does have a lot of pro-breastfeeding propaganda that seems like a waste of space as I seriously doubt anyone reading anything written by Ina May Gaskin has doubts about the benefits of breastfeeding.
March 9, 2019
Ina May Gaskin, the premier direct-entry midwife in the United States, presents a guide for breastfeeding.
Ina May's Birkenstocks are definitely showing in this book, and there is a crunchy granola, alternative medicine slant to all the advice. Her breastfeeding guide gives the same basic information as most other breastfeeding books but from a naturopathic hippie perspective. If you're not really left-leaning, you may want to read The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers, and/or The Nursing Mother's Companion instead.
One of the things this book does that other breastfeeding books don't do is actually devote an entire chapter (chapter 3) to discussing all the birth practices that adversely affect breastfeeding. Oddly enough, some of the most common obstacles to breastfeeding are iatrogenic. This may be why they are rarely addressed by healthcare provides. As part of informed consent a woman should be told which practices decrease her odds of being able to successfully breastfeed, not to discourage her from having an induction or receiving an epidural but to prepare her for the consequences if she has her heart set on breastfeeding. If a woman has breastfeeding as one of her top priorities, she has a right to know what practices will help or hinder her. She may change her birth plan or simply adjust her expectations.
I wish that Ina May would have included in this chapter the common factors in a woman's medical history, such as an eating disorder, current anti-depressant use, and sexual assault, that also negatively affect the likelihood of being able to successfully breastfeed. So many women are blindsided by their inability to breastfeed because they had no idea that they were facing what was likely insurmountable odds. Better prenatal education and screening can prevent this by providing a mother with a realistic grasp on her own particular situation.
Another great thing about Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding is that it touches upon the crucial point that breastfeeding isn't easy just because it is natural. "Because of the invisibility of nursing in our society, many women believe that nursing a baby should be easy and almost automatic..." (121). Women too often mistakenly believe that breastfeeding should be easy because it is natural, and this misconception that breastfeeding should be "easy" because it is "natural" has in part fueled the enormous backlash against encouraging breastfeeding. Women who struggle with breastfeeding or find themselves unable to breastfeed when they believed it should be easy and automatic often become -- understandably -- frustrated, disappointed, and angry when their unrealistic expectations are crushed.
Only women in societies, or communities, in which they have seen numerous mothers breastfeeding without any covering will find breastfeeding less of a challenge. This is because they have spent their entire lives learning through observation about the different nursing positions, how mothers correct bad latches, and the infant cues that initiate and end breastfeeding sessions.
For the majority of women in Western societies, there is a big learning curve, and breastfeeding will be difficult. The circumstances and interventions during a birth, the physical structure of a mother's breasts and nipples, medical treatments given to and procedures performed upon the infant, the infant's health and temperament, and the mother's pre-existing medical conditions can also significantly decrease the odds of being able to successfully breastfeed.
Establishing breastfeeding is rarely easy and is usually challenging for the first couple weeks even for mothers who have previously breastfed other infants. This is one the reasons behind the push for breastfeeding education and support to be offered as part of postnatal care by the medical industry.
Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding offers a large number of personal stories. Unfortunately, many featured mothers who persevered despite the fact that it made both them and their babies miserable for a significant amount of time. So, I had to deduct a star. This is a terrible practice and should not be encouraged or touted as a success story even if breastfeeding is eventually able to be established. Getting off to a rough start but persevering and ultimately succeeding with the help of good support and professional assistance is one thing. But this veered into the pathological in many cases. In one story, the baby would scream and arch away every time he was offered the breast. It was horrifying. I couldn't understand what was wrong with his mother. She was torturing that child.
While breastmilk may be nutritionally superior to formula, it is detrimental to persist to attempting to breastfeed when it makes either the mother or the child completely miserable. It is also one more stressor on top of disturbed sleep cycles, wildly fluctuating hormones, and an emotional roller coaster, which can be the straw the broke the camel's back that pushes a mother into a clinical mental state. Doing anything that can cause the mother to resent the child can create a dangerous situation and at the very least interferes with the critical bonding time during the first two weeks after birth. It is not worth traumatizing the entire family. If breastfeeding clearly isn't working, then stop. After all, formula was invented to feed babies who couldn't be breastfed or wet-nursed.
It is usually the mother's own self-imposed expectations that cause her to feel like a failure if she desires to breastfeed but cannot, and these examples should have been framed as situations where breastfeeding clearly wasn't working and a backup plan should have been implemented.
All breastfeeding advocates need to make sure that women know it is okay if breastfeeding is unsuccessful. This is so very, very important. Women need to know that they didn't "fail" if they wanted to breastfeed but couldn't. Sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Things don't always work out the way we hoped. It's okay to feel disappointed, but you have to move on. Persisting at all costs is foolish and counterproductive. Don't do it. Don't imitate the bad examples in this book.
The book concludes with a chapter devoted to "nipple phobia" in the United States. While it is an interesting discussion, I'm surprised that Ina May never made the connection between the belief that breastfeeding is unacceptable in public and abstinence-only sex education, the U.S. government's de facto position that sex is only permissible within the confines of marriage and only then if both participants can afford to pay for any resulting children 100% out of pocket, and the tradition of the Abrahamic religions that a woman's body is a sexual object that should only be seen by husband -- not to mention the sects that believe sex done for any purpose outside of reproduction is a terrible sin even for married people. This toxic combination is responsible for much of the attitude that breastfeeding is something that should only be done in secret behind closed doors.
Ina May's Birkenstocks are definitely showing in this book, and there is a crunchy granola, alternative medicine slant to all the advice. Her breastfeeding guide gives the same basic information as most other breastfeeding books but from a naturopathic hippie perspective. If you're not really left-leaning, you may want to read The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers, and/or The Nursing Mother's Companion instead.
One of the things this book does that other breastfeeding books don't do is actually devote an entire chapter (chapter 3) to discussing all the birth practices that adversely affect breastfeeding. Oddly enough, some of the most common obstacles to breastfeeding are iatrogenic. This may be why they are rarely addressed by healthcare provides. As part of informed consent a woman should be told which practices decrease her odds of being able to successfully breastfeed, not to discourage her from having an induction or receiving an epidural but to prepare her for the consequences if she has her heart set on breastfeeding. If a woman has breastfeeding as one of her top priorities, she has a right to know what practices will help or hinder her. She may change her birth plan or simply adjust her expectations.
I wish that Ina May would have included in this chapter the common factors in a woman's medical history, such as an eating disorder, current anti-depressant use, and sexual assault, that also negatively affect the likelihood of being able to successfully breastfeed. So many women are blindsided by their inability to breastfeed because they had no idea that they were facing what was likely insurmountable odds. Better prenatal education and screening can prevent this by providing a mother with a realistic grasp on her own particular situation.
Another great thing about Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding is that it touches upon the crucial point that breastfeeding isn't easy just because it is natural. "Because of the invisibility of nursing in our society, many women believe that nursing a baby should be easy and almost automatic..." (121). Women too often mistakenly believe that breastfeeding should be easy because it is natural, and this misconception that breastfeeding should be "easy" because it is "natural" has in part fueled the enormous backlash against encouraging breastfeeding. Women who struggle with breastfeeding or find themselves unable to breastfeed when they believed it should be easy and automatic often become -- understandably -- frustrated, disappointed, and angry when their unrealistic expectations are crushed.
Only women in societies, or communities, in which they have seen numerous mothers breastfeeding without any covering will find breastfeeding less of a challenge. This is because they have spent their entire lives learning through observation about the different nursing positions, how mothers correct bad latches, and the infant cues that initiate and end breastfeeding sessions.
For the majority of women in Western societies, there is a big learning curve, and breastfeeding will be difficult. The circumstances and interventions during a birth, the physical structure of a mother's breasts and nipples, medical treatments given to and procedures performed upon the infant, the infant's health and temperament, and the mother's pre-existing medical conditions can also significantly decrease the odds of being able to successfully breastfeed.
Establishing breastfeeding is rarely easy and is usually challenging for the first couple weeks even for mothers who have previously breastfed other infants. This is one the reasons behind the push for breastfeeding education and support to be offered as part of postnatal care by the medical industry.
Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding offers a large number of personal stories. Unfortunately, many featured mothers who persevered despite the fact that it made both them and their babies miserable for a significant amount of time. So, I had to deduct a star. This is a terrible practice and should not be encouraged or touted as a success story even if breastfeeding is eventually able to be established. Getting off to a rough start but persevering and ultimately succeeding with the help of good support and professional assistance is one thing. But this veered into the pathological in many cases. In one story, the baby would scream and arch away every time he was offered the breast. It was horrifying. I couldn't understand what was wrong with his mother. She was torturing that child.
While breastmilk may be nutritionally superior to formula, it is detrimental to persist to attempting to breastfeed when it makes either the mother or the child completely miserable. It is also one more stressor on top of disturbed sleep cycles, wildly fluctuating hormones, and an emotional roller coaster, which can be the straw the broke the camel's back that pushes a mother into a clinical mental state. Doing anything that can cause the mother to resent the child can create a dangerous situation and at the very least interferes with the critical bonding time during the first two weeks after birth. It is not worth traumatizing the entire family. If breastfeeding clearly isn't working, then stop. After all, formula was invented to feed babies who couldn't be breastfed or wet-nursed.
It is usually the mother's own self-imposed expectations that cause her to feel like a failure if she desires to breastfeed but cannot, and these examples should have been framed as situations where breastfeeding clearly wasn't working and a backup plan should have been implemented.
All breastfeeding advocates need to make sure that women know it is okay if breastfeeding is unsuccessful. This is so very, very important. Women need to know that they didn't "fail" if they wanted to breastfeed but couldn't. Sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Things don't always work out the way we hoped. It's okay to feel disappointed, but you have to move on. Persisting at all costs is foolish and counterproductive. Don't do it. Don't imitate the bad examples in this book.
The book concludes with a chapter devoted to "nipple phobia" in the United States. While it is an interesting discussion, I'm surprised that Ina May never made the connection between the belief that breastfeeding is unacceptable in public and abstinence-only sex education, the U.S. government's de facto position that sex is only permissible within the confines of marriage and only then if both participants can afford to pay for any resulting children 100% out of pocket, and the tradition of the Abrahamic religions that a woman's body is a sexual object that should only be seen by husband -- not to mention the sects that believe sex done for any purpose outside of reproduction is a terrible sin even for married people. This toxic combination is responsible for much of the attitude that breastfeeding is something that should only be done in secret behind closed doors.
July 23, 2011
This was such an excellent book! I highly recommend it to any pregnant woman (even if they aren't really considering breastfeeding), any new mother struggling with breastfeeding, and to anyone who is generally interested in breastfeeding or the incredible abilities of the female body (husbands, doulas, doctors, midwives, and everyone else).
As an expecting mother, I was excited to see this book at the bookstore after I had just finished reading Ina May's guide to childbirth. I love Ina May's writing style and her philosophies regarding pregnancy, birth and motherhood, and I knew she would be a great tool in learning about breastfeeding. I did not know much about breastfeeding before I read this book, just that it is good for your baby but that a lot of people have trouble with it. I feel much more confident about my decision to breastfeed now. Ina May covers a vast amount of material in this book ranging from how breastfeeding works, how to prepare for nursing while you are still pregnant, how to breastfeed, problems you might encounter and how to deal with them, and a discussion about breastfeeding culture.
There were many things I found interesting reading through this book and I would like to share just a couple things. First, I always hear that breastfeeding is painful and difficult. But Ina May talks about how pain comes from having a poor latch (which can lead to other problems) and discusses how to get a proper latch or how to find someone who can help you get a better latch. She said that nursing should be a wonderful feeling and experience, and that it is important to get it right at the beginning to have a good breastfeeding experience.
Second, I was really saddened by how breastfeeding is viewed in America. While it is a completely natural and wonderful thing for a mother to do for her babies (and what every other mammal does) so many women feel uncomfortable and/or are harassed while breastfeeding. Our culture associates breasts and nipples with sex to the point that it makes people uncomfortable to see breasts being used for what they are actually intended to be used for. I am only 6 months pregnant right now, and even before reading this book I have been nervous about how comfortable I will feel about breastfeeding my baby. I am scared to be exposed around my friends and family, even though I know I shouldn't be. This book really helped open my eyes to the huge dilemma we have in our culture (she terms it "nipplephobia") and it both saddened and inspired me. I believe that the more people who read this book, or learn about breastfeeding, the more comfortable people will become with the idea of it, and the better off we will all be.
As an expecting mother, I was excited to see this book at the bookstore after I had just finished reading Ina May's guide to childbirth. I love Ina May's writing style and her philosophies regarding pregnancy, birth and motherhood, and I knew she would be a great tool in learning about breastfeeding. I did not know much about breastfeeding before I read this book, just that it is good for your baby but that a lot of people have trouble with it. I feel much more confident about my decision to breastfeed now. Ina May covers a vast amount of material in this book ranging from how breastfeeding works, how to prepare for nursing while you are still pregnant, how to breastfeed, problems you might encounter and how to deal with them, and a discussion about breastfeeding culture.
There were many things I found interesting reading through this book and I would like to share just a couple things. First, I always hear that breastfeeding is painful and difficult. But Ina May talks about how pain comes from having a poor latch (which can lead to other problems) and discusses how to get a proper latch or how to find someone who can help you get a better latch. She said that nursing should be a wonderful feeling and experience, and that it is important to get it right at the beginning to have a good breastfeeding experience.
Second, I was really saddened by how breastfeeding is viewed in America. While it is a completely natural and wonderful thing for a mother to do for her babies (and what every other mammal does) so many women feel uncomfortable and/or are harassed while breastfeeding. Our culture associates breasts and nipples with sex to the point that it makes people uncomfortable to see breasts being used for what they are actually intended to be used for. I am only 6 months pregnant right now, and even before reading this book I have been nervous about how comfortable I will feel about breastfeeding my baby. I am scared to be exposed around my friends and family, even though I know I shouldn't be. This book really helped open my eyes to the huge dilemma we have in our culture (she terms it "nipplephobia") and it both saddened and inspired me. I believe that the more people who read this book, or learn about breastfeeding, the more comfortable people will become with the idea of it, and the better off we will all be.
December 2, 2023
I love Ina May and really enjoyed her guide to child birth. This book came highly recommended but for me too much of the book was dated. The edition I read was from 2009 - I’m not sure if there’s an updated version- and much of the book focuses on outdated statistics around not breastfeeding. Current statistics show that rates are up 10%+ from 2009 and breast feeding seems a lot more common.
Anyway, I thought there would be more information on how to breast feed and what to expect, and while there was quite a bit of that, it wasn’t as informative overall as I had hoped. I could have watched a 20 minute YouTube video and had the same experience as the time I spent reading this book.
Anyway, I thought there would be more information on how to breast feed and what to expect, and while there was quite a bit of that, it wasn’t as informative overall as I had hoped. I could have watched a 20 minute YouTube video and had the same experience as the time I spent reading this book.
November 1, 2025
Amazing book! Breastfeeding is so cool
September 3, 2016
I think as parents or parents-to-be, we look for sources of information that resonate with the natural instincts or attitudes we already have, and for me, this book did not. While some of the practical information regarding positions and common problems was informative, much of what she had to say about co-sleeping, baring all in public, shared/wet nursing, delayed cord-clamping, natural childbirth, weaning, etc. just did not agree with my natural instincts as a mom-to-be. Not to mention the constant suggestions to look to the animal kingdom for breastfeeding and parenting cues. There were a handful of other concepts that I just don’t see myself following, such as mixing teas with thistle root and applying poultices of parsley for ailments, or when she said there is not reason to have a pump unless you are returning to work. Having date nights with my husband through our child-rearing years is extremely important to us, so I’m planning on pumping for when we have babysitters, although I still feel unsure of how to manage occasional pumping with regular feedings. If you are someone interested in unadulterated, primal, natural childbirth, breastfeeding, and child-rearing, you will probably enjoy this book, but as I said, it’s just not my style.
August 22, 2022
Misinformation. Breastfeeding does not raise IQ, it’s not a reliable form of birth control, and it does not prevent the huge percentage of illnesses that Ina May claims. All of this comes from the first 20 minutes of the book.
All I wanted was to find tips on how to breastfeed, helpful products, and what to watch out for, which are undoubtably included later in the book, but I couldn’t get past the defensiveness and “snake oil” claims.
There’s really no need to convince parents to make the best possible decisions for their babies, but I do crave information and support. I can’t trust this book to offer that.
All I wanted was to find tips on how to breastfeed, helpful products, and what to watch out for, which are undoubtably included later in the book, but I couldn’t get past the defensiveness and “snake oil” claims.
There’s really no need to convince parents to make the best possible decisions for their babies, but I do crave information and support. I can’t trust this book to offer that.
May 31, 2022
This book convinced me that breastfeeding is not only possible for me, but normal and not something to be embarrassed about.
April 13, 2023
4.5 ⭐️ Ina May has a lot of strong opinions. In this book, she outlines why she believes breast milk and breastfeeding are best for our babies and how more mothers should be encouraged to and supported in having successful breastfeeding journeys. If you are unable to or choose not to breastfeed, this might seem off putting, but I feel she presents this in an evidence-based, matter-of-fact way that is not judgmental. This is not a “how to” book, though it provides a lot of practical information on breastfeeding (storage, common problems, positions, etc.) but also just caring for and connecting with your newborn. She looks at breastfeeding from a holistic perspective - the scientific benefits, the mother/baby connection, the emotional impact (positive and negative) on the mother, medical practices that discourage successful breastfeeding, etc. I love that Ina May points out societal/structural barriers to breastfeeding and provides solutions. As with all of her books, she includes personal stories and invites her reader into the wonder and beauty of the pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting experiences. This will be a good one to come back to when challenges and questions present themselves!
April 23, 2025
Lots of good advice on common nursing issues. As with her book on birth, I especially appreciate all the anecdotes included. Women are relational creatures and reading about other women’s experiences really increases that feeling of solidarity. I do think more practical advice could have been included. This was very much an overview.
Chapters on relactation were super fascinating!
I also thought the second to last chapter on “nipplephobia” was interesting. Gaskin rightly points out that breasts have been over sexualized to the point that nursing openly in public is embarrassing or “gross”. As a young mother I struggle with feelings of awkwardness even with a cover so I totally get this. She suggests that we, as mothers, simply ignore our current culture and nurse confidently in public - sans cover. While I appreciate the ardor I’m not sure this is the best advice considering the over sexualization of breasts. Not sure what the best solution is. Sure nursing should be more normalized in public and should be viewed as a *nurturing* act. But flaunting it still seems dramatic and uncomfortable? There are ways to discreetly nurse in public without making a dramatic statement. Idk. There’s definitely a problem but it’s a hard one to fix.
Chapters on relactation were super fascinating!
I also thought the second to last chapter on “nipplephobia” was interesting. Gaskin rightly points out that breasts have been over sexualized to the point that nursing openly in public is embarrassing or “gross”. As a young mother I struggle with feelings of awkwardness even with a cover so I totally get this. She suggests that we, as mothers, simply ignore our current culture and nurse confidently in public - sans cover. While I appreciate the ardor I’m not sure this is the best advice considering the over sexualization of breasts. Not sure what the best solution is. Sure nursing should be more normalized in public and should be viewed as a *nurturing* act. But flaunting it still seems dramatic and uncomfortable? There are ways to discreetly nurse in public without making a dramatic statement. Idk. There’s definitely a problem but it’s a hard one to fix.
February 7, 2025
I really enjoyed Ina Mays book on childbirth so I figured I would read her book on breastfeeding and I’m so glad I did! It was super helpful in times where I was panicking if I was doing it all right. It made me feel more confident in not only my first breastfeeding journey but when it comes to introducing solids solids, and my babies sleep patterns and how breastfeeding interacts with these factors. There was A LOT of information and felt overwhelming at times but I’d rather have too much info than not enough so I did skim some sections near the end. I would rate this 4.75 stars!
December 4, 2022
As a first timer to motherhood, I definitely learned a lot very useful information from Gaskin. It was an easy read and packed with wisdom of both experience and history of breastfeeding. But here are a few points that show this book is becoming less relevant with time.
A. In agreement with a lot of the reviews here, some parts are too lengthy and redundant:
1- stories of new moms being harassed for breastfeeding in public. Maybe it was essential back in the days to educate the US citizens about nipplephobia and how to tackle them. But these few pages are not really of any use to readers who live in a different area, Europe for example.
2- Brands of medicines information are extensively listed but with the availability of information from the internet nowadays, it almost feels silly to read the urls as written in a book. Some links no longer exist or return "Page not found" results.
B. If you're not living in the USA, this book might not even serve its full purpose because a lot of the information in based on the lifestyles, laws and regulations in the USA (maternity leaves, breastfeeding culture, etc.). Although Gaskin did mention her exposure in other parts of the world (Europe, Middle east, etc) and point out the differences, it is not enough to be helpful.
C. Please keep in mind that this book is more than 10 years old. Some information has been outdated for sure. A quick search on Google will tell you why breastfeeding is *not a secure* method of contraception. The book failed to mention the full list of conditions for this method to work and repeatedly praised this benefit throughout. Postpartum, as a science, has improved so much in the last decade so be mindful and always double check all of these medical facts before storing it in your mental knowledge library.
It might be harsh to give 2 stars but considering the ability to get the same knowledge with more reliable science-backed data from more relevant sources, and the ability to learn of the experiences from real life moms and midwives from actual medical organizations in this time and age, this book wouldn't be nowhere near a must have for me personally.
A. In agreement with a lot of the reviews here, some parts are too lengthy and redundant:
1- stories of new moms being harassed for breastfeeding in public. Maybe it was essential back in the days to educate the US citizens about nipplephobia and how to tackle them. But these few pages are not really of any use to readers who live in a different area, Europe for example.
2- Brands of medicines information are extensively listed but with the availability of information from the internet nowadays, it almost feels silly to read the urls as written in a book. Some links no longer exist or return "Page not found" results.
B. If you're not living in the USA, this book might not even serve its full purpose because a lot of the information in based on the lifestyles, laws and regulations in the USA (maternity leaves, breastfeeding culture, etc.). Although Gaskin did mention her exposure in other parts of the world (Europe, Middle east, etc) and point out the differences, it is not enough to be helpful.
C. Please keep in mind that this book is more than 10 years old. Some information has been outdated for sure. A quick search on Google will tell you why breastfeeding is *not a secure* method of contraception. The book failed to mention the full list of conditions for this method to work and repeatedly praised this benefit throughout. Postpartum, as a science, has improved so much in the last decade so be mindful and always double check all of these medical facts before storing it in your mental knowledge library.
It might be harsh to give 2 stars but considering the ability to get the same knowledge with more reliable science-backed data from more relevant sources, and the ability to learn of the experiences from real life moms and midwives from actual medical organizations in this time and age, this book wouldn't be nowhere near a must have for me personally.
November 15, 2020
As a mother with medically-diagnosed lactation insufficiency, I was ready to be ignored by the book and to hate it. Although I was right about being ignored, apart from one line acknowledging that some women have medical issues that prevent them from breastfeeding exclusively or partly, I was wrong about hating the book. It is very comprehensive and tackles issues such as making sure to empty the breast, pain, positioning and posture, clogged ducts, mastitis etc. Some parts about the benefits of breastfeeding were a bit redundant and some anecdotes were excessively lengthy but overall reading this book was informative and pleasant. It probably helped that I shared many of the author's opinions about the need for American society to normalize the visibility of breastfeeding moms and safe milk-sharing, and the need to support women with more adequate maternity leave and work accommodations, considering what is at stake in terms of public health.
October 5, 2009
This was released on a Monday, I received it on Friday (Amazon pre-order), and I finished it Sunday. As a how-to manual, it's not my favorite (my favorite is Nursing Mother's Companion, but I love love love the anthropological background and all of the discussion of shared nursing arrangements, relactating, our society's "nipplephobia," etc. Good stuff.
Also, Ina May is refreshingly moderate about breastfeeding and weaning - unlike Dr. Sears and others, she resists slavish devotion to the attachment parenting model, instead deferring to the mother's feelings and common sense. I love Ina May!
Also, Ina May is refreshingly moderate about breastfeeding and weaning - unlike Dr. Sears and others, she resists slavish devotion to the attachment parenting model, instead deferring to the mother's feelings and common sense. I love Ina May!
November 5, 2011
highly recommended to anyone who is breastfeeding, thinking of breastfeeding, or wants to know why there are people who think breastfeeding is a big deal. also recommended to people like me who are curious about why Ina May G. is considered a big deal. now i get it. Ina May rocks.
Update - Ina May is coming to speak at the U of M later this month! She has a new book called Birth Matters. Hooray!
Update - Ina May is coming to speak at the U of M later this month! She has a new book called Birth Matters. Hooray!
July 26, 2025
Interesting information- like how elderly women and childless women can breast-feed, and what to do in the hospital setting to promote breast-feeding. I’m glad I listened to it.
Weird conclusions on several things.
I really do not understand the whole idea that if a woman is asked to cover while breast-feeding she is oppressed. She argues it’s not sexual but natural, but so is going to the bathroom and we like people to have privacy to do that. Why does anyone want to breast-feed naked in front of people? If it’s oppression to be covered while breast-feeding, I would love to see Ina May be consistent and ask that we go to the bathroom on the side of the street. Some things are just meant to be private. Of course it’s nice for places to provide areas for women to do that privately, but also the world doesn’t revolve around you. Bring a cover. Or join a nudist community. I really just don’t understand why some people want forms of nakedness to be the norm. The author has drank the juice of believing everyone is a victim from white male policies.
I spent time in a non developed village in Africa. The women did not cover while breastfeeding. The women also raised children without husbands. Nakedness was not seen as shameful. Neither was drunkenness at 8am. Neither was abandoning your family (for either mom or dad). The one’s trying to promote civility and respect gave women covers for breastfeeding. Its dignifying. She’s not a cow , and she should wear clothing. It’s ignorant to idealize what primitive cultures do—we want civility, not barbarism.
Her chapter on how naked sculptures are wonderful in a culture and how America needs more naked art is pathetic. Again, Ina May there are nudist communities that would gladly except you. But do not criticize the morality of America for being too modest, I can assure you that is not a concern.
Another axe to grind, oh my … the Islamic praise!! She called the Koran holy and quoted it to share the high value of women. Does she have anyyyy idea of what the Koran teaches? Again, she is drinking the juice that only white men in the U.S. who make policies oppress, but the men in turbans that legalize rape, murder of women, and polygamy are heros because they encourage women to breastfeed. Read the Koran, Ina May, and if you find it holy, please inform your readers why.
I also really didn’t like the push to cosleep. But whatever, it’s expected from her crowd and that didn’t bother me. The moral issues she pushed were a lot more aggravating.
Weird conclusions on several things.
I really do not understand the whole idea that if a woman is asked to cover while breast-feeding she is oppressed. She argues it’s not sexual but natural, but so is going to the bathroom and we like people to have privacy to do that. Why does anyone want to breast-feed naked in front of people? If it’s oppression to be covered while breast-feeding, I would love to see Ina May be consistent and ask that we go to the bathroom on the side of the street. Some things are just meant to be private. Of course it’s nice for places to provide areas for women to do that privately, but also the world doesn’t revolve around you. Bring a cover. Or join a nudist community. I really just don’t understand why some people want forms of nakedness to be the norm. The author has drank the juice of believing everyone is a victim from white male policies.
I spent time in a non developed village in Africa. The women did not cover while breastfeeding. The women also raised children without husbands. Nakedness was not seen as shameful. Neither was drunkenness at 8am. Neither was abandoning your family (for either mom or dad). The one’s trying to promote civility and respect gave women covers for breastfeeding. Its dignifying. She’s not a cow , and she should wear clothing. It’s ignorant to idealize what primitive cultures do—we want civility, not barbarism.
Her chapter on how naked sculptures are wonderful in a culture and how America needs more naked art is pathetic. Again, Ina May there are nudist communities that would gladly except you. But do not criticize the morality of America for being too modest, I can assure you that is not a concern.
Another axe to grind, oh my … the Islamic praise!! She called the Koran holy and quoted it to share the high value of women. Does she have anyyyy idea of what the Koran teaches? Again, she is drinking the juice that only white men in the U.S. who make policies oppress, but the men in turbans that legalize rape, murder of women, and polygamy are heros because they encourage women to breastfeed. Read the Koran, Ina May, and if you find it holy, please inform your readers why.
I also really didn’t like the push to cosleep. But whatever, it’s expected from her crowd and that didn’t bother me. The moral issues she pushed were a lot more aggravating.
Read
January 26, 2024I’m going to hold off on rating this because I *think* it will be more helpful after I’ve actually given birth and am looking for technical assistance with breastfeeding. It didn’t quite provide me with the bare bones basics or overview I was hoping it would - it seemed scattered in its flow, at least to my albeit uninformed brain at this point in time, and it seems to jump right into lots of specifics of what to do in X, Y, Z very specific scenarios you *might* encounter while breastfeeding, which overwhelms me this far before birth.
I’m also just not a fan in general of all the suggested homeopathic remedies or dramatic discussion of “nipplephobia,” so I don’t expect to give this a full 5 stars…..but who knows what motherhood will do to my rating opinions!
I’m also just not a fan in general of all the suggested homeopathic remedies or dramatic discussion of “nipplephobia,” so I don’t expect to give this a full 5 stars…..but who knows what motherhood will do to my rating opinions!
April 24, 2025
I read this book during my first week breastfeeding, during nighttime feedings and found it extremely interesting and helpful. I very much appreciate the common-sense explanations and found myself (as ever) being endlessly fascinated with what the female body can do, and how little we talk about it in everyday life, or respect it in our culture.
It doesn't prevent me from giving it 5 stars, but I do wish the author had included more "negative" information on the very real discomfort many women feel at adjusting to breastfeeding, regardless of latch, and the extreme emotional battles that coexist with that. Leaving this out felt very ingenious and unrealistic to the full experience. I found some of the intro to be a turn off as well, as breastfeeding is not for everyone and that's okay!
It doesn't prevent me from giving it 5 stars, but I do wish the author had included more "negative" information on the very real discomfort many women feel at adjusting to breastfeeding, regardless of latch, and the extreme emotional battles that coexist with that. Leaving this out felt very ingenious and unrealistic to the full experience. I found some of the intro to be a turn off as well, as breastfeeding is not for everyone and that's okay!
March 19, 2020
Lai arī šķiet, ka pasaulē visi esam tik līdzīgi (kādi arī esam), dažādās pasaules malās tomēr cilvēkiem ir atšķirīgas realitātes. Eiropa un Amerika reizēm, šķiet, ir katra no savas realitātes. Par to arī grāmata. Ļoti interesanta vēstures sadaļa, nedaudz nomācoša Amerikas kultūras daļa (bet aktuāla pašai autorei un grāmatas primārai mēķauditorijai) un dažas elegantas idejas.
Par krūts ēdināšanu, kas ir viena jēdzīga iespēja.
Par krūts ēdināšanu, kas ir viena jēdzīga iespēja.
January 17, 2025
Ina May is a bit crunchy for my liking but there are so many great lessons on breastfeeding in this book, especially for a new mama like me who knows very little. She really popped off the in the last chapter though about how people are so squeamish and weird about women breastfeeding in public. Like … it’s not sexual!? She’s a mama feeding her baby. Let her live! I didn’t realize I’d get so fired up about it.
August 2, 2022
A must for every mother!! I’m so glad I started reading this before Ellie was born. It’s been so helpful and I know I’ll continue to draw from it time and time again if issues arise. It’s so empowering! Love Ina May and all she has done for women around the world to embrace and love their bodies and their natural processes. Breastfeeding is SO FREAKING COOL.
November 4, 2017
Helped me feel more confident about breastfeeding and gave me some good ideas to trouble shoot in post partum. Some may find it "preachy" but I thought it was quite empowering.
January 27, 2025
Especially enjoyed the section where she rants against the “mental disease” of puritanical nipplephobia infiltrating modern society. Preach Ina May!
April 18, 2025
USAs 2008. aastal kindlasti väga vajalik teos.
December 21, 2018
An incredibly practical and informative guide.
September 20, 2016
Great info for first time mom's who want to breastfeed!
September 2, 2025
Let me be honest: this book would’ve been a game-changer in the early days as a new mom. Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding is filled with practical wisdom, soft compassion, and expert guidance. Everything I wish I’d had in my hospital bag. It’s easy to see why it’s recommended as essential reading even before birth.
Ina May Gaskin, explains the science, the emotions, and the social factors with such clarity and warmth that I found myself wishing I'd started this around 34 or 35 weeks—rather than waiting until the postpartum haze fully set in. When my little one arrived, I was overwhelmed and winging it. If I’d had Ina May’s guide in the hospital, I would’ve been so much better equipped from the start. There was pressure from all sides—doctors, nurses, well-meaning relatives—and I was stumbling through, not knowing what questions to ask or what to trust.
When I finally got around to reading it at 37 weeks—after I gave birth—I realized how much pressure and confusion I could’ve avoided. Ina May talks you through nursing challenges, pumping, work-life balance, tandem feeding, and even weaning. She addresses all of it with empathy and zero judgment
What really struck me were the real stories woven throughout, stories of exhausted hopeful mothers, crying babies, and fierce perseverance. Those pages made me feel seen and less alone in the chaos.
If you’re expecting—or even if your breastfeeding journey started bumpy—I truly believe it’s worth the emotional investment to read Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding sooner rather than later.
Ina May Gaskin, explains the science, the emotions, and the social factors with such clarity and warmth that I found myself wishing I'd started this around 34 or 35 weeks—rather than waiting until the postpartum haze fully set in. When my little one arrived, I was overwhelmed and winging it. If I’d had Ina May’s guide in the hospital, I would’ve been so much better equipped from the start. There was pressure from all sides—doctors, nurses, well-meaning relatives—and I was stumbling through, not knowing what questions to ask or what to trust.
When I finally got around to reading it at 37 weeks—after I gave birth—I realized how much pressure and confusion I could’ve avoided. Ina May talks you through nursing challenges, pumping, work-life balance, tandem feeding, and even weaning. She addresses all of it with empathy and zero judgment
What really struck me were the real stories woven throughout, stories of exhausted hopeful mothers, crying babies, and fierce perseverance. Those pages made me feel seen and less alone in the chaos.
If you’re expecting—or even if your breastfeeding journey started bumpy—I truly believe it’s worth the emotional investment to read Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding sooner rather than later.
July 3, 2017
This is a bit lighter on specific practicalities but still has a good deal of information. I liked the nurturing and encouraging tone very much--the introduction ends with a "note on etiquette" that admonishes against being judgmental of those who don't breastfeeding: "How would it make you feel for someone to make comments about a way of feeding what you have no way to reverse? It is possible to educate without issuing statements that make people feel criticized." <333 The chapter on weaning is also more moderate and supportive of what's best for the baby and the mother both.
Other interesting parts: interweaving of personal stories around breastfeeding and various challenges, stories from The Farm (basically the hippie commune/midwife community Ina May founded), and anthopological/historical info about wet nursing and nursing adopted babies or nursing of grandchildren by grandmothers or teenagers who haven't been pregnant themselves before.
The essay on "nipplephobia" in the U.S. makes some good points about how it's odd to only have breasts/nipples be sexual objects and not the perhaps more important biological function of feeding the next generations and all. It concludes by encouraging women to feel more comfortable breastfeeding in public as the main thing that can be done to shift the culture, which seems sensible and realistic.
Other interesting parts: interweaving of personal stories around breastfeeding and various challenges, stories from The Farm (basically the hippie commune/midwife community Ina May founded), and anthopological/historical info about wet nursing and nursing adopted babies or nursing of grandchildren by grandmothers or teenagers who haven't been pregnant themselves before.
The essay on "nipplephobia" in the U.S. makes some good points about how it's odd to only have breasts/nipples be sexual objects and not the perhaps more important biological function of feeding the next generations and all. It concludes by encouraging women to feel more comfortable breastfeeding in public as the main thing that can be done to shift the culture, which seems sensible and realistic.
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