Breastfeeding Books You May Not Have Heard Of, Part 1| Breastfeeding Made Simple

As an aspiring lactation educator I have been reading a few books and resources lately and thought I would share my review of a few. It can be overwhelming choosing books to read while pregnant when you have limited time. I hope part 1 gets you off to a good start in deciding which books to read!

Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers

Nancy Mohrbacher and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett

When looking for a book on human milk feeding, it is in my opinion helpful to know that the authors are not only professionals, but have been helping mothers for decades - the two authors of this book are both IBCLCs, with several other books under their belt as well, and they state that their main purpose for writing this book is to help mothers meet their breastfeeding goals.

This book is intended to educate on biological infant behaviour and feeding patterns, using the seven “natural laws” of breastfeeding. Written in 2010, they recognize that Western society has gone through a long period of time where formula was the norm, and that women today may have never witnessed breastfeeding before - and may have also heard lots of myths about it. Personally, as I spend time wading through social media comments about breastfeeding - this is where we need pay attention. With many of our grandmothers, mothers, and sisters having never breastfed - we need accurate sources of information. Mothers currently nursing littles may be only the first or second in their immediate families to breastfeed. Think about that!

The main goal of the book is to get mothers off to a good start, avoiding pain and avoiding mistakes that lead to low supply, by following their “natural laws” (Law 2 is my favourite: Mother’s Body Is Baby’s Natural Habitat). This book also discusses biological facts regarding human milk and the act of nursing. I believe they do a good job of doing so in an unbiased way, sourcing from scientific studies that cover the health impacts of formula. Each section of the book covers a different "Law". I did find at times that some points were discussed in multiple sections, so at times it got confusing which Law they were discussing. Having said that, since all these laws have to do with the same thing - I guess criss-crossing points are unavoidable!

The authors made sure to include troubleshooting advice in each chapter in the case of complications or when you just need a little extra help, with no judgement. They also have sections on returning to work and weaning.

(Note: this book is from 2010. I did notice two subjects she mentioned that need updating. The current mastitis protocol differs from what she discusses: it is now recommended to use cold as opposed to heat to reduce inflammation. She also mentioned it can take two weeks for dairy proteins to leave your milk when considering infant allergies - current research is showing that it is in most cases less than 3 days!).

Overall, I would suggest checking this book out if you are new to breastfeeding. I love that it approaches breastfeeding from a physiological point of view and focuses on the mother-baby dyad.

There is also a fantastic website loaded with free resources! Check it out here: https://breastfeedingmadesimple.com/

*This book is available on Libby in Canada, which gets this book bonus points in my mind. No risk to borrowing it online and seeing if it can help you!

I hope you found this mini review to be helpful!

While you're here, if you want to check out my blog post Why Every Mom Should Consider a Breastfeeding Photoshoot... feel free to click through and decide if you want to plan for your own breastfeeding photoshoot when the time comes! As a mom and photographer, I highly recommend treating yourself to such a special photoshoot.

Cheers,

Ashley