1. The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Child’s Sleep (Pantley)

2. The Nursing Mother’s Companion: Revised Edition

3. The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night

4. Mothering Your Nursing Toddler

5. We Like to Nurse

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Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

~ Author Sean Taylor refused to accept the prize money for the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize 2007 after he learned about Nestlé’s unethical marketing practices. Thanks to Bliss-Breastfeeding for the heads-up on that story.

The Canadian Press interviewed stand up comic Kate Davis about her new book, Breastfeeding Diaries (Let’s Dish). The article shares a funny incident that took place when Davis went to the gym: “Adhering to the club’s no bathing suit policy, she slipped out of her workout gear and into the crowded hot tub with six other women. ‘I took off all my clothes, jumped in and, literally, I was a little cherub fountain just spraying,’ recalled Davis, laughing. ‘I wasn’t due to nurse or anything. I think it was just the hot water that triggered everything, but the women were not happy – especially when I hit (one).’ ”

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Before I could read Baby Matters, Revised 2nd Edition: What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Caring for Your Baby, two breastfeeding women raved to me about the book. “Most doctors just tell you what they believe about baby care. This author tells you what she thinks and why. It has all the hard science behind attachment parenting!” I must say I agree with their positive assessment and their enthusiasm for a book that is unlike (in a good way!) most other parenting and baby care books. It is so refreshing to read a book that tackles both sides of issues like vaccination, vitamin K injections, and circumcision, with scientific studies to back up the arguments for or against such procedures. I kept a pen by my side to highlight key passages as I read through the extensive and fascinating coverage of parenting and infant care topics by author Linda Folden Palmer, DC. I wish I’d had this book when I was pregnant (when I really needed the information to make important decisions about early baby care, breastfeeding, and nutrition) and had the time to devour every bit of the information packed into this book. Baby Matters would make an excellent gift for expecting mothers, attachment parenting families, and those pesky grandparents who insist you’re “spoiling that baby” by responding to his cries. Chapters like “Allergy Matters” and “Discovering, Preventing and Treating Food Allergies” would be particularly helpful to women with a family history of allergies as well as mothers trying to get to the bottom of troubling problems such as colic, eczema, rash, ear infections, etc. And if you are looking for a parenting and baby care book that brings scientific evidence to the discussion of attachment parenting, co-sleeping, breastfeeding, nutrition and other baby matters, then Baby Matters is the book for you.

Other Carnival Book and DVD Reviews

After reading many of the following reviews, my wish list has grown tremendously!

~ The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog reviews an assortment of ideal gifts including The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers Revised and Updated
~ The International Breastfeeding Symbol Blog reviews The Baby Book and Unconditional Parenting
~ Hobo Mama reviews Our Babies, Ourselves
~ Mama Knows Breast reviews bOObs: A Guide to Your Girls
~ BreastfeedingMums reviews many books, including The Breastfeeding Cafe
~ On School Street reviews Blindsided by a Diaper: Over 30 Men and Women Reveal How Parenthood Changes a Relationship
~ Tales of Life with a Girl on the Go reviews the children’s book The Best Gifts
~ James and the Giant Moose reviews Having Faith
~ The True Face of Birth reviews Mama Knows Breast: A Beginner’s Guide to Breastfeeding
~ Crunchy Domestic Goddess reviews the DVD What Babies Want

If you’re looking for reviews of other books or breastfeeding products such as bras, breast pumps, and nursing covers, check out this compilation I put together a while ago.

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1. The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Child’s Sleep by Elizabeth Pantley. This is by far the number one best seller for Breastfeeding 1-2-3 readers. That pleases me very much given my feelings against crying-it-out.

The next three books tied for second place.

2. The Nursing Mother’s Companion: Revised Edition by Kathleen Huggins. You can read my interview with Kathleen Huggins here.

3. Mothering Your Nursing Toddler by Norma Jane Bumgarner.

4. We Like to Nurse by Chia Martin and Shukyo Linn. This is a children’s book that shows positive illustrations of animal mothers and babies nursing.

The next three tied for fifth place.

5. How Weaning Happens by Diane Bengson.

6. The No-Cry Potty Training Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Child Say Good-Bye to Diapers by Elizabeth Pantley. Interesting that the only non-breastfeeding books on this list are potty training books!

7. Mama Mama by Jean Marzollo and Laura Regan. This is another children’s board book that contains a positive illustration and some text about breastfeeding.

The next five tied for eighth place (which is why this top 10 list goes to 12!)

8. The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (Revised and Updated Edition) by William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N.

9. Papa Papa by Jean Marzollo and Laura Regan. It’s a companion book to Mama Mama.

10. The Nursing Mother’s Guide to Weaning, Revised Edition by Kathleen Huggins and Linda Ziedrich.

11. The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night by Elizabeth Pantley.

12. Too Big for Diapers by Random House and photographer John E. Barrett. This is a Sesame Street Babies children’s book about toilet learning.

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Did you have any difficulties breastfeeding?

My biggest problem with breastfeeding was that I had no idea what I was doing when our first son was born. I realized I knew more about my stroller, car seat and crib than I did about my boobs and feeding a baby.

Even though I had some parenting books and had taken a breastfeeding class, I often felt at a loss. I didn’t know what to do when I had horrible engorgement the first week after birth; I didn’t know how to find the right breast shield size for my pump; I didn’t know that babies ate around the clock and that I would be utterly exhausted. For some reason, I ideally expected breastfeeding, and taking care of a newborn, to be easy. So I experienced a sense of shell shock. I remember sitting on the sofa, feeding the baby at 3 a.m., wondering if it ever got easier.

Did you hire a lactation consultant and if so, how did she help you?

I never hired a lactation consultant, but I found some wonderful LC’s who helped me through these problems. I called the hospital where our son was born and an LC gave me advice on treating the engorgement. I went to the store where I bought my pump, and an LC helped me get the right breast shield. Then when I was weaning our first son, and clueless once again, an LC at the hospital gave me some pointers.

What’s your favorite piece of advice for new mothers?

I have my nursing advice, and my general parenting advice. For nursing, I try to figure out what the mom’s objectives are for breastfeeding or using formula. Once I know she wants to breastfeed, I recommend getting the telephone number of a lactation consultant before the baby is born. That way, if she needs help, she won’t have to scramble to get a recommendation. Second, I try to gently remind moms that newborns eat around the clock, and sometimes need to be woken up to eat if they are extremely sleepy. This is important to nourish the baby and to establish milk supply.

For general parenting advice, I tell a mom to keep an open mind since her opinions and attitudes will probably evolve once the baby is born. If she recognizes this, it can make the transition to parenting easier. For instance, someone who is convinced she’ll go back to work, might decide to stay home. The opposite can happen too. Someone who thinks she’ll stay home, may decide to go back to work. Of course this example assumes the mom has the financial ability to make a choice. But the basic idea is that it helps to remain flexible in your approach to parenting.

I also suggest lining up a support team of family, friends, and hired help if you can afford it. There’s no reason to struggle through all of this alone. Things are definitely easier if you have extra hands. It took me a long time to accept the fact that I needed help and couldn’t do everything on my own.

What are your feelings about breastfeeding, now that you’ve weaned?

I miss it. It almost makes me want to have another baby! But we’re done. We don’t want to be out numbered by our kids.

How did your Mama Knows Breast website influence the writing of your book?

Running my blog Mama Knows Breast connected me to moms around the world who wanted to talk about breastfeeding. It’s been amazing sharing stories and information with other moms. On a practical level, running the blog also helped me find resources and people (like you!) who helped me with some of the content of the book.

One of the things that has impressed me the most, in writing this book, is that every single woman has a story to tell about breastfeeding. Maybe it’s a story about getting mastitis, feeding the baby on an airplane, finding the best nursing bra, pumping in the office, or weaning a toddler. Everyone has an experience she’ll never forget.

How was the process of finding a publisher for the book? Did publishers balk at breastfeeding as a topic?

Book publishing is tough. I first got the idea to write the book in March of 2005. I had a light bulb moment, when I realized there wasn’t a book like this available for new moms. I envisioned a hand-book of practical information and cool illustrations; the tone would be light-hearted and realistic.

I then wrote a book proposal, a 50+ page document that explained the book and had a sample chapter. I used the proposal to find an agent. And finding an agent wasn’t easy. I had at least 10 people say they didn’t think the book would fly. Finally, I found Katherine Fausset, of Curtis Brown, Ltd., and she “got it.” She intuitively understood what the book was all about.

Katherine helped me improve the proposal I had written, and once that was done, she started shopping it to publishers. Again, rejection after rejection. Many publishers thought the topic was too controversial. Some thought the parenting market was over-crowded. And then, at long last, Quirk Books “got it.” Among their many titles, they have a line of parenting books that have excellent information with a clever tone. “Mama Knows Breast” was a perfect fit. I think I cried when they called to say they wanted to buy the book from me.

Do you have plans for another book?

I’m still working through the idea stage of my next book. But I’ve also got a lot to do with Mama Knows Breast right now. Not to mention the two little boys who call me Mama!

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The Best Things about Mama Knows Breast

1. It is a sassy yet savvy primer on breastfeeding.

2. The concise 160-page pocket guide manages to cover a full range of breastfeeding topics.

3. It is a quick and humorous read that packs a lot of information.

4. A vast majority of the information and advice is spot on. Andi breastfed her sons, did research on breastfeeding, and had several lactation consultants review the book. As I read the book I often found myself thinking, “Yes! I’m so glad you said that!”

5. The illustrations are great–very hip, fun and cute.

6. The section on “Responding to Critics” is a hoot!

7. The list of resources in the back provides excellent references for further reading.

Changes I’d Like to See in Mama Knows Breast: The Revised Edition

1. In trying not to lay guilt on formula-feeding moms, the book represents formula as an equally safe and viable option:

In some developing countries, breastfeeding is safer for infants than formula-feeding. In developed countries, however, where women have access to clean water, formula-feeding is considered a viable alternative to breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is always safer than formula-feeding, even in developed countries. Breastfeeding saves lives, and early weaning or not breastfeeding at all puts children at higher risk of illness and even death.

2. Breastfeeding is undermined by the repeated suggestions to give the baby bottles of either breast milk or formula so mom can get a break or more sleep. Sure the occasional bottle of expressed breast milk is fine once breastfeeding is well established, but talking about mom spending a night at a hotel or even hiring a regular night nurse goes too far when we’re talking about breastfeeding an infant. (Although I love that Andi says not to let any baby nurse force you into following a prescribed feeding schedule. “Feed your baby if she’s hungry, even if she just ate ten minutes ago.” That’s one of those “Yes! I’m so glad you said that!” moments!)

3. Even the popular “sleep trainers” don’t recommend sleep training for babies younger than six months old. Sleep training at three months can lead to failure to thrive! The thought of making a baby cry-it-out at that age (or any age!) is enough to make me want to cry!

4. While the book briefly mentions that some women might choose to nurse into toddlerhood, there’s no discussion of the benefits of doing so (it’s all presented as a mother’s personal choice, not as something that might actually benefit the child).

5. Hand-expression should be mentioned as an option. Not all women can afford a pump and pumping can be more painful than hand-expressing when a woman’s breasts are engorged.

6. The “Who Can Help” section does not name La Leche League (although the name comes up in other parts of the book). Pediatricians and other doctors are also resources, but remember, they probably received one-and-a-half hours or less in breastfeeding instruction. La Leche League leaders are breastfeeding mothers who are specially trained to counsel other breastfeeding mothers. The group should be listed right up there with lactation consultants.

7. If a mother needs treatment for thrush, the baby absolutely needs simultaneous treatment as well (and vice versa), whether or not the other party shows symptoms of yeast infection. Treating only the mother or only the baby simply allows the yeast to pass back and forth between them.

I realize I am far to the right on breastfeeding (although not militantly so) and some might think my suggestions are a bit nit-picky. Maybe. Andi’s an excellent writer and Mama Knows Breast fills a gap on the breastfeeding book shelves. I think it will be a huge success and deservedly so. Congratulations Andi on “giving birth” to a book that just might convince a lot of women to breastfeed!

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Each chapter will be devoted to a disease/vaccine pair and offer a comprehensive discussion of what the disease is, how common or rare it is, how serious or harmless it is, the ingredients of the vaccine, and any possible side effects from the vaccine. Ultimately, parents will have to make their own informed decisions as Dr. Bob Sears is neither pro-vaccine nor anti-vaccine. But THE VACCINE BOOK will provide exactly the information parents want and need as they make their way through the vaccination maze.

The book comes out October 22, 2007, but you can pre-order your copy now.

I’m curious to hear what your current opinion is. Please participate in the poll and leave a comment explaining your answer if you wish!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Last year the World Breastfeeding Week Book Release Challenge saw over 150 breastfeeding-related books released in childbirth classes, baby-type stores, WIC offices, obstetricians’ offices, etc. This year the goal is to more than double that number. Here are some of the rules for participation:

All releases must be about breastfeeding, such as breastfeeding ‘how to’ books (i.e. The Nursing Mother’s Companion) or breastfeeding advocacy books (i.e. Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding.)

Books can also be children’s books that show pictures of breastfeeding or depict breastfeeding as a normal part of family life (i.e. Near Mama’s Heart or Mama Mama)….

We would also like to add a category for fiction books that discuss breastfeeding as some part of the plot line. For example, The Red Tent has breastfeeding characters, as well as the book Back When We Were Grownups.)

Prizes will be awarded for the most books released, the most children’s books released, the most informational books released, and the most fiction books released, and anyone who releases three or more books will be entered into a random drawing. Prizes so far include signed copies of the following books:

The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley
The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Elizabeth Pantley
Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth Pantley
Near Mama’s Heart, a children’s book about breastfeeding by Colleen Newman
A Gift for Baby by Jan Hunt
Mama Knows Breast: A Beginner’s Guide to Breastfeeding by Andi Silverman

For full challenge contest details and an up-to-date list of prize offerings, visit the 2nd Annual World Breastfeeding Week Book Release Challenge page at BookCrossing.

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B123: What are some of the significant changes and additions you made to this revised edition?

KKG: Hmm, there have been revisions to just about everything – every chapter includes some changes and updates. Amazing how the science of lactation and “standard” practices can change in a few years. And I’m always learning new things or new thinking from the mothers of twins and triplets (MOT/T) in our Cincinnati La Leche League (LLL) Multiples group and from MOT/T in online groups to which I belong. The section on preterm babies has been expanded as have chapters on nighttime mothering, partial breastfeeding, and fussy babies. The chapter on fussy babies includes more about GERD, lactose overload, sensory integration, etc. Finally, key points for each chapter have now been added at the end of the chapter, so the busy MOT/T can easily find the nitty-gritty when there is not enough time to read more!

B123: Tell us a little about your experience mothering multiples.

KKG: My monozygotic (identical) sons were our 3rd and 4th children. Their older sister was 5 and their older brother was 3 within a couple of weeks of their birth. My husband was a medical resident then, so I was on my own a lot. He was “on call,” meaning he was at the hospital from 7 a.m., through the night, to 5 p.m. the next evening every 3rd day; every 3rd weekend he’d leave Friday at 7 a.m. and return Monday evening.

I was lucky because I carried the boys to 40 weeks, 5 days gestation – almost unheard of today. A (Tony) weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz. and B (Joey) weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. – 14 lbs. 1 oz. total. They roomed in from birth and were fully breastfed their first 6.5 months – usually gaining 2-3 pounds per month. Because of latching issues, it took 2-3 months before we got the hang of simultaneous nursing. But once we all figured it out, almost all daytime feeds were simultaneous because they usually wanted to eat at the same time. Lucky me – they usually woke on alternate hours during the night. We had a crib in our room and I played musical beds, rotating the one who woke to nurse with the sleeping one I’d drifted off with while breastfeeding an hour or so earlier.

Breastfeeding was the easiest part of mothering my twins! (I honestly cannot even imagine the work involved in feeding multiples any other way! Breastfeeding may take a bit longer for babies and mother to learn, but once learned it is sooo easy!) My sons were high-need babies, needing lots of contact. We lived in our rocking chair. But I felt lots of guilt about my older two children, whose lives changed so quickly, and about the babies because I couldn’t always meet one or the other’s needs as quickly as I had with my singletons….

I won’t even go into toddlerhood, which I thought was the most difficult period because of all they constantly got into – when they weren’t pushing, biting, or punching each other! But there’s a reason for the last few chapters in Mothering Multiples, and it isn’t because I’m the only MOT who found this a difficult phase!

B123: What bit of parenting or breastfeeding wisdom have you learned in your work with mothers of multiples that mothers of singletons might find helpful too?

KKG: Lots of bits. My LLL co-leader and I may do a presentation on this very topic this summer. Perhaps the most important thing is that some/partial breastfeeding truly is better than no breastfeeding – and that partial breastfeeding can work but it still has to work within principles of lactation physiology.

B123: What’s your top tip for breastfeeding multiples? What’s your favorite piece of mothering advice?

KKG: No fair asking for a “top tip” – but I guess it would be to hang in and keep breastfeeding (or pumping if both are preterm/near-term or either has difficulty). Unless a baby has an underlying physical problem, tincture of time, skin-to-skin mother-baby contact and a realistic method for supplementing that reinforces breastfeeding oral behaviors almost always leads to effective breastfeeding for all babies. It IS worth it – although it may be difficult to believe that when stuck in the middle of it!

B123: Is there a particular product (breast pump, nursing pillow) etc. that you routinely recommend to mothers of multiples?

KKG: LOL, mothers have been breastfeeding multiples for tens of thousands of years without today’s equipment. Today, everyone is convinced they need fancy-dancy equipment to breastfeed. I never pumped but occasionally hand expressed so I’d have “relief” milk in the fridge. Nursing pillows weren’t around 2-3 decades ago – yet we survived! So no, there isn’t a particular product I recommend. However, for babies who are preterm or near-term and not yet able to effectively breastfeed (remove milk from breast to GI system), I highly recommend an appropriate pump — an appropriate pump for this situation is a rental (let me repeat – rental), hospital-grade, electric, self-cycling breast pump that is used at least 8 times in 24 hours. If using a nursing pillow, a mother will get more for her money if she gets one that can be used for breastfeeding one or two at once. To breastfeed two most MOT/T suggest using a pillow with a wider and deeper “shelf” all the way around side-to-side, e.g. the EZ-2-Nurse.

B123: In your work as a La Leche League Leader and lactation consultant you’ve counseled thousands of mothers of multiples. What advice can you give to other breastfeeding counselors who have mothers of multiples come to them for help? Are there some key points to keep in mind when helping a mother of multiples?

KKG: Women breastfeeding twins or more deserve the best possible start, but they’re the least likely to get it. In addition to the increased likelihood of preterm/near-term birth, mothers are more likely to be affected by pregnancy or birth complications. Breastfeeding counselors of any kind often underestimate the impact of transitioning two or more preterm/near-term newborns to breast while still caring for them otherwise and recuperating from a more complicated pregnancy and birth. Helping strategies need to take into consideration the total situation. Strategies that make more sense for a woman with a single infant may overwhelm the mother with multiple newborns. Don’t lose long-term breastfeeding because of bias toward unrealistic (for MOT) interventions. (I’ve also found that strategies that work for MOT/T also tend to work for breastfeeding difficulties with singletons!)

B123: I’m assuming you’ve counseled some women who conceived multiples through advanced reproductive technology. I had a woman tell me that her reproductive specialist warned her she’d have trouble breastfeeding (why a doctor would sabotage a mother that way I don’t know). A recent study also indicated that mothers who conceived through IVF (whether or not they conceived multiples) need extra breastfeeding support. What are your thoughts on that? Are you aware of any data about assisted reproduction and breastfeeding success?

KKG: Probably most of the MOT/T I’m in contact with have been through fertility treatment. Most of these moms do great with pumping/breastfeeding IF pumping eight or more times in 24 hours, or babies are allowed to feed “on cue” vs. feed based on some ambiguous schedule. (Many organizations for parents of multiples seem to “push” more rigid scheduling instead of accepting that babies are babies no matter how many arrive at one time.) Inadequate milk removal, especially a concern in the first several weeks when lactation is being established, still leads as the top reason for insufficient production. There’s a perception that needing help to conceive means breastfeeding/lactation will be problematic, but that’s not necessarily so. The hormones that support conception are different than those that support lactation.

One condition that’s associated with fertility issues and insufficient lactation probably is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Addressing some aspects of that condition often improves milk production. Thyroid conditions can also affect fertility and milk production.

Multiples are two, three, more times the usual number of babies no matter how they were conceived, but parents who were “blessed” with multiples via fertility treatment often believe they aren’t “allowed” to feel overwhelmed, negative, etc. when babies’ care is 24/7.

B123: Thanks for taking the time to speak with Breastfeeding 1-2-3! Is there anything else you’d like to share?

KKG: Breastfeeding multiples is not always easy but it’s always worthwhile. And once you’ve hung in and breastfed multiples, you know you can do anything (if you want and put your mind to it)!

I try to always be available to MOT/T via phone, email (kgromada@fuse.net), etc. and I’m a member of the Yahoo group AP Multiples as well as check LLLI’s mother-to-mother forums for mothers breastfeeding multiples. There are links to these groups in addition to FAQ, photos, articles, etc. via my web site: www.karengromada.com.

Beyond that there’s tons to share – so many tidbits, so little time or space! Heck, I can talk on this topic for hours – and probably days! Speaking of speaking, I love to do so! Info is available on my page at the LactSpeak site: http://lactspeak.com/speakers/KarenGromada/.

Thanks for having me here!

B123: Thanks again Karen! For more discussion of breastfeeding multiples, click here.

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