The workbook is divided into 12 chapters with accompanying audio portions for each provided on two CDs. The audio exercises take you through 12 different sample conversations featuring doctors, nurses, lactation consultants, WIC peer counselors, and breastfeeding support group leaders. The woman’s voice is pleasant and clear. I found the vocabulary exercises particularly helpful and was pleased to see tear-out quick reference sheets for common words and phrases. By working through the exercises, IBCLCs can earn up to 12.8 L-CERPs.

In addition to the comprehensive instruction in the Spanish language, the book provides a solid base of current and accurate breastfeeding advice. It demonstrates how to offer both informational and emotional support. It works as a self-guided course or as a textbook in a classroom setting. Spanish for Breastfeeding Support is a gorgeous book and an excellent reference guide!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

It’s refreshing to see evidence- and practice-based breastfeeding recommendations from a doctor. While most physicians receive very little education in breastfeeding, Dr. Neifert has many years of experience practicing breastfeeding medicine as a pediatrician, co-founder of one of the very first breastfeeding centers in the United States, and co-founder of the Denver Mothers’ Milk Bank (among a long list of credentials, not the least of which is having breastfed her own five children!)

The book strikes the perfect balance between informative and accessible, enthusiastic and non-judgmental. It gives women the tools and encouragement to get breastfeeding off to a good start and to continue breastfeeding through any challenges or changes in the breastfeeding relationship. It covers common breastfeeding problems, working and pumping, special circumstances such as medical issues or multiples, toddler nursing, breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing. I liked the tone of the book and agreed with the vast majority of the breastfeeding and parenting advice presented in it. The only issue on which we part ways is bed-sharing/night-time parenting (I’m a huge fan of co-sleeping to maximize sleep for mother and baby and to help maintain a good milk supply for the mother especially if she plans to return to work), but I was still pleased to see Dr. Neifert offer some guidelines for safe co-sleeping.

I very highly recommend Great Expectations: The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding. What about you? Have you read the book? Please leave a comment with your own book review!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Throughout the chapters on “Helping Children Deal with Their Feelings,” “Engaging Cooperation,” and “Alternatives to Punishment” I found myself dog-earring pages and scribbling notes in the margins:

Prevention not punishment.

Punishment versus natural consequences.

Give child a way to make amends.

Teach them the problem-solving skill.

This book has helped me transition from being the mother of a breastfed toddler whose two’s weren’t all that terrible, to the mother of a four-year-old and a seven-year-old who challenge my parenting skills daily. When I have the presence of mind to employ one of the techniques suggested in the book, I notice how it diffuses conflict rather than escalating it. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen equips parents with helpful communication skills, and it will remain one of my favorite attachment parenting references.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

First the book covers the importance of naps and total hours of day and nighttime sleep. I knew that naps could affect mood and concentration. I was surprised however to learn that sleep deficits could lead to obesity!

Next the book identifies what is “normal” and sets realistic expectations for parents, especially when it comes to newborn babies. Parents can then chart the child’s current nap and nighttime sleep in order to see how and when improvements can be made.

Finally, the book offers a range of tips to deal with specific napping issues such as catnapping and nap resistance.

One napping issue of key interest to nursing mothers is the nursling who will not fall asleep without nursing. The author says that studies of naptime behaviors show that 73 percent of breastfeeding babies fall asleep nursing, and 67 percent of breastfeeding toddlers fall asleep nursing.

This is no surprise; the most natural way for a baby to fall asleep is sucking while being held. It is a comforting ritual and a magic spell for sleep all rolled into one.

Pantley is quick to note that a naptime “problem” is only a problem if the parent thinks it is! If you are content nursing your baby to sleep (and back to sleep!) or you enjoy holding your baby in arms or in a sling for naptime, then do not change it! The great thing about The No-Cry Nap Solution is that it will either help you accept and come to terms with your current situation or it will provide you with the tools to make the changes you want to see.

My tip? What does not work one day might just work the next! I never thought my baby would follow the easier-said-than-done advice to put the baby down while she is drowsy but still awake. In eight months she never drifted off to sleep that way (and if I tried to pat her or sing to her she looked at me like I was adding insult to injury!) Just yesterday my little 8.5-month-old darling snuggled under her blanket and fingered the satin trim as she peacefully eased into sleep. Even if she never repeats that incident again, it was worth trying it that once!

Do you have any naptime tips? Have you read The No-Cry Nap Solution and if so, what is your review?

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

41. A good rule of thumb is that Mommy puts the food in and Daddy takes it out.

A little humor goes a long way to setting the right tone in this helpful but not preachy, quick-start guide to the basics of breastfeeding. At $8.95 list price this would make an excellent addition to a baby shower gift.

The author Michele Leigh Carnesecca is a registered nurse, lactation consultant, and better yet — mother of four breastfed children! She places a little more faith in doctors than I would (they’re often not as good a source of breastfeeding information as they should be) and focuses exclusively on hospital births, but those are minor details. In addition to the changes suggested by Tanya, I would like to see a few typographical errors corrected so they don’t detract from the quality of information presented (please, people, if you’re going to talk about breastfeeding “discreetly” then refrain from using the correct-word-but-used-in-the-wrong-context “discretely.”)

To sum up, I would not hesitate to recommend this book. If you are a pregnant woman or know someone who’s expecting, stay tuned as I will be giving away my review copy in a contest next week!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

A new breastfeeding book debuts next week. The ABCs of Breastfeeding: Everything a Mom Needs to Know for a Happy Nursing Experience is written by neonatal nurse practitioner and internationally board certified lactation consultant Stacey H. Rubin.

The website for the book offers a sample chapter on “The Signals That Will Let You Know When to Feed Your Baby”. The book appears to have an easy-to-read style peppered with stories and examples from the author’s interaction with her clients. I found myself nodding in agreement with the Rubin’s recommendations. How nice to read the following passage:

Libraryjournal.com reviewer Rebecca Raszewski also enjoyed Rubin’s stories, saying:

Her fascinating client stories, interweaved throughout, effectively illustrate the issues and success of new and experienced breastfeeding mothers alike; end notes from mostly medical and nursing journals titles support her content.

Raszewski concluded:

A solid alternative to the classic Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (7th revised ed. 2004), this will serve as both an informative and a reassuring book to any mother.

The The ABCs of Breastfeeding: Everything a Mom Needs to Know for a Happy Nursing Experience is available for order now on Amazon.com.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Bras:
Bella Materna Bras and Other Lingerie (Boob Lady’s Blog)
Bravado Bras (Mocha Milk)
Condessa Breastfeeding Lingerie (Mocha Milk)
Figleaves (Natural Moms Talk Radio)
Florence Nursing Bra and Target/Wal-Mart Options (Black Breastfeeding Blog)
Motherhood (The Lactivist)
Tips on Bra Sizing from Motherwear (Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog)
Underwired Nursing Bras (BreastfeedingMums)

Breast Pumps:
Avent Isis Manual Pump (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Avent Isis Manual Pump and Medela Mini Electric Breast Pump (BreastfeedingMums)
Lansinoh Double Electric Breast Pump (The Lactivist)
Medela Pump In Style and Medela Harmony plus others (Mama Knows Breast)
Various Breast Pumps (Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog)

Breastfeeding Accessories:
Booby Tubes hot and cold packs (The Lactivist)
Milkscreen alcohol detection kits (Black Breastfeeding Blog)
Milkscreen alcohol detection kits (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)

Breastfeeding Art and Calendars:
Breastfeeding art (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Breastfeeding calendars (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)

Breastfeeding Bloggers’ Stores (Your purchases help support the hard work of breastfeeding bloggers!):
Breastfeeding 1-2-3’s Amazon.com store (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
The Lactivist t-shirts and accessories (The Lactivist CafePress store)
Little Babies Online Store (BreastfeedingMums CafePress Store)
Motherwear (Sponsor of the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog)
Near Mama’s Heart (book written by the author of My Baby and More)

Breastfeeding and Parenting Books:
The Baby Sleep Book (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Babyproofing Your Marriage (Mama Knows Breast)
The Breastfeeding Book (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Fresh Milk — The Secret Life of Breasts (The Lactivist)
How Weaning Happens (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Medications and Mothers’ Milk (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
The Milk Memos: How Real Moms Learned to Mix Business with Babies–and How You Can Too (Black Breastfeeding Blog)
A Mother’s Gift magazine (magazine especially for black breastfeeding mothers) (Black Breastfeeding Blog)
Mothering Your Nursing Toddler (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
The No-Cry Sleep Solution (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Siblings Without Rivalry (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Super Baby Food (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Taking Charge of Your Fertility (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Your Personal Guide to Breastfeeding fold-out chart (Black Breastfeeding Blog)

Children’s Books Related to Breastfeeding:
Baby Bear Isn’t Hungry (Breastfeeding Mums Blog)
Baby on the Way (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
I’m Made of Mama’s Milk (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Mama Mama (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Mama’s Milk (BreastfeedingMums)
Mama’s Milk (The Lactivist)
Near Mama’s Heart (The Lactivist)
Near Mama’s Heart (Mama Knows Breast)
We Like to Nurse (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
What Baby Needs (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)

Children’s Toys Related to Breastfeeding:
Nursing Dolls (Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog)

How to Make and Sew Your Own Baby and Breastfeeding Products:
Baby Bibs (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Baby Booties (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Cloth Diapers: How to Buy Used or Sew Your Own Cloth Diapers (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Nursing Necklace (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Nursing Pillow, Clothes, Bras and Cloth Diapers (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Ring Sling (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)

Nursing Bracelet:
Milk Bands Nursing Bracelet (The Lactivist)

Nursing Covers:
Hooter Hiders (The Lactivist)
Lila Bean Nursing Cover (Breastfeeding Mums Blog)
Peek a Boo B Nursing Cover (The Lactivist)
Nursing Covers Discussion (Mocha Milk)

Nursing Necklaces:
Rumina Nursing Necklace (U.K. company; Breastfeeding Mums Blog)

Nursing Pads:
Gerber Nursing Pads (The Lactivist)
Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads (The Lactivist)
LilyPadz (The Lactivist)

Nursing Pillows:
Boppy Pillow (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Boppy, My Breast Friend and The Nuzzle Nursing Pillow (Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog)
Boston Billow Pulled from Market by the CPSC (The Lactivist)

Nursing Shirts:
Motherhood and More Motherhood (The Lactivist)
Nursing Shirt Opening Options from Motherwear (Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog)
Nursing Tops (The Lactivist)

Slings and Other Baby Carriers:
Baby Bjorn, Beco and Ergo Baby Carriers (Cairo Mama)
Ella Roo Sling and Tube Sling (Cairo Mama)

Teaching Tools and Videos:
Belly Balls (illustrate the size of a newborn’s stomach) (Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog)
Free Video: Baby Massage Techniques (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Free Video: Breast Self-Exam (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Free Video: Successful Breastfeeding: A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Started (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)

Related Products:
Using Cloth Diapers (Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Cloth Diapers (Cairo Mama)
Motherwear Children’s Clothing (BreastfeedingMums)
Pedoodles Shoes for Kids (The Lactivist)
Strollers (Mama Knows Breast)

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

What Baby Needs is a companion book to Baby on the Way. Both are excellent books and will appeal greatly to parents who practice attachment parenting. If you’re looking for a book to help your child prepare to become a big brother or sister, personally I’d choose Baby on the Way with its discussion of pregnancy and birth and its focus on how the big brother or sister can participate in the process. If you’d prefer a book that didn’t feature pregnancy and birth, then What Baby Needs is a great choice.

As the title implies, What Baby Needs focuses primarily on the new baby (almost to the point of excess–on the 25 pages that contain text I counted 36 uses of the words “baby” and “babies”).

On the nursing front, the book is unabashedly pro-breastfeeding.

Babies have tiny tummies that like one thing best–their mommies’ milk.

Two illustrations show the mommy nursing the newborn, and one illustration shows the daddy feeding the older infant a bottle of expressed breast milk. Both my two-year-old and my four-and-a-half-year-old enjoy this book and have asked for me to read it to them several times over the past few days. I highly recommend What Baby Needs (and/or Baby on the Way) for every growing family.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Cons: I’d love to see a board book version of this. The paperback book is printed with fairly sturdy paper and there is a hardcover edition (although when I checked Amazon.com the hardcover edition was not currently available).

Pros: Purposefully simplistic yet engaging with illustrations and text that appeal to mothers and young children alike.

The engaging children’s book We Like to Nurse capitalizes on children’s love of animals as it shares the important message that all mammals–animal and human–like to nurse. This is one of the few children’s books I’ve read that focuses entirely on nursing yet retains the simplicity and charm of other books for young children. It’s a children’s book that happens to be about nursing, not a nursing book that speaks down to children. Bright colors adorn realistic animal illustrations paired with basic text:

A zebra mommy munches grass while her baby nurses standing up.

The back of the version I read contained the following endorsement from Peggy O’Mara, Editor/Publisher of Mothering Magazine:

Any work of art that celebrates the profundity of the breastfeeding relationship is worthy of note. The art of this book is especially tender and vulnerable–open in the way that breastfeeding is–and opens up to the deeper feelings of this intimate relationship.

I whole-heartedly agree. It’s lovely to see the series of cuddling animal mothers and babies, culminating with the human mother and her infant nursling.

We Like to Nurse is written by Chia Martin and illustrated by Shukyo Lin Rainey.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Pros: Sturdy board book. Actual color photographs as opposed to illustrations.

Cons: Strained rhymes. Grainy picture quality.

I do not relish criticizing any book much less a children’s book about nursing, but I simply cannot give this book my unreserved endorsement. The concept has such great potential but the result is disappointing. I’m Made of Mama’s Milk by Mary Olsen contains over 20 photographs of a nursling who appears to be approximately one year old (now that my own nursling is two it’s hard for me to judge a baby’s age!) The darling little girl is shown nursing in her mama’s arms, in a sling, in a bed, in the bath and at the park. The pictures are not overly modest nor unnecessarily graphic (more conservative readers might object to one or two photos). It is nice to see the father/husband included in three of the pictures as well. The problem lies in the poor quality of the photographs. They’re annoyingly blurred and fuzzy but not in a “romantic” way. They look like poor quality still shots taken from a video.

Furthermore, while I appreciate the attempted rhythm and lilt of the words, some of the rhymes felt a bit strained:

I like to drink while warm in the bath,
Or while being carried down a park nature path.

I must admit that the book immediately drew the attention of my two-year-old and she loved the pictures of a nursling much like herself (and the fuzzy “mirror” on the last page). I fear that adults, though, are going to be put off by the poor photo quality. If I’m Made of Mama’s Milk featured better quality pictures, I would have given the book a rating of at least 4.5.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3