Three and a half years had passed since I last nursed a newborn, and it turns out I had forgotten some things:
1. How those tiny flailing hands get in the way of latching on.
2. How I always manage, accidentally, to drop food crumbs on the baby’s head.
3. How it’s a learning experience for both mom and baby, no matter how many other babies mom has nursed.
4. How much help and support mom and baby need (and not just with breastfeeding — with everything!)
5. How helpful (restful!) it is to master the side-lying position.

Here are some highlights for May, just in case you missed them:
1. Get the scoop on breastfeeding, anti-depressants, and alternative treatments for depression.
2. A new study shows breastfeeding may cut rheumatoid arthritis risk in half.
3. Check out the poll results on where mothers are giving birth (more than you might think are giving birth at birth centers or at home!) Don’t forget to vote in the new poll on co-sleeping!
4. The crafty among you might enjoy a free pattern for knitting your own nursing tank top.
5. Find out about the latest study to weigh in on the debate over breastfeeding …read more

When my channel editor asked everyone in the Health and Wellness channel to compile the five best posts from each blog, I had to stop and think for a while. What makes a “best” post? I don’t think it’s necessarily the most popular post or the most commented on post. I think it’s the post of which I am most proud, the post into which I put extra effort and care. So I offer for your consideration, in no particular order:
1. Everything You Wanted to Know about Breastfeeding, Sex and Breast Milk Fetishes but Were Afraid to Ask — talk …read more

Readers of Breastfeeding 1-2-3 favor these five books:
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

1. Health benefits for baby.
2. Health benefits for mom.
3. Bonding (even if it’s not always a glowingly happy experience for mom, the baby certainly feels secure and loved through breastfeeding)!
4. The contented, milk-drunk gazes from nursling to mother — an unspoken “thank you.”
5. Portability. Whether you’re comfortable nursing in public or prefer to find a quiet place to nurse, the milk is always with you!
What do you consider some of the best things about breastfeeding? Leave a comment!