Why Breastfeeding Matters

An authoritative, friendly and accessible look at the debate on infant feeding, offering parents and health professionals evidence-based information on why breastfeeding matters.

Pinter and Martin's Why it Matters series offer succinct, balanced and evidence-based introductions to the topics that affect family life in the 21st century. The Politics of Breastfeeding, first published in 1988, described how big business and vested interests influence the intimate relationship between mothers and their babies to the detriment of all, rich or poor, in the West or in the developing world. In Why the Politics of Breastfeeding Matter, the central ideas of The Politics of Breastfeeding are distilled into a concise form, making it the perfect introduction to understanding the complex forces that govern what many think of as a simple choice to breastfeed or not.

How often does my baby really need to feed? How do I know my baby is getting enough? Is it normal for my baby to wake at night? When you're expecting a new baby, suddenly everyone around you becomes an expert – particularly when it comes to how to feed them. It is easy to become overwhelmed by conflicting advice, myths and exaggerated stories. The Positive Breastfeeding Book cuts through the anecdotes, giving you clear, no-judgement, non-preachy, evidence-based information to help you make the right decisions for you and your baby. It will… help you understand how breastfeeding works give you tips for planning for your baby's arrival help you cope with those early months support you to make sure that whilst you're looking after the baby, you're getting taken care of too point you to how to seek help if challenges come up guide you through feeding in public, going back to work, and even rediscovering a glass of wine You'll find plenty of real stories and guidance throughout from mothers and experts in supporting breastfeeding. There are handy chapters on formula and mixed feeding, which cut through advertising spiel and give you the facts you need to choose and use formula safely. The Positive Breastfeeding Book doesn't promise to make it easy, nor will it get up in the middle of the night for you, but it will empower you with the knowledge and encouragement you need to feed your baby with confidence.

A complete resource for any health-care professional to provide expectant and nursing mothers with the most current medical advice on breastfeeding and related topics. Contains additional information on supporting breastfeeding mothers and meeting their specific physical and emotional needs.

A guide through the confusion and challenges surrounding infant tongue-tie.

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.

Since the invention and subsequent rise of baby formula in the early twentieth century, parents with access to clean drinking water have had a safe alternative to breast milk. The use of formula spiked between the 1950s and 70s, with some reports showing that nearly 75% of the population relied on commercial formula to at least supplement a breastfeeding routine. So how is it that most of those bottle-fed babies grew up to believe that breast, and only breast, is best? In Is Breast Best? Joan B. Wolf challenges the widespread belief that breastfeeding is medically superior to bottle-feeding. Despite the fact that breastfeeding has become the ultimate expression of maternal dedication, Wolf writes, the conviction that breastfeeding provides babies unique health benefits and that formula feeding is a risky substitute is unsubstantiated by the evidence. In this compelling volume, Wolf argues that a public obsession with health and what she calls "total motherhood" has made breastfeeding a cause celebre, and that public discussions of breastfeeding say more about infatuation with personal responsibility and perfect mothering in America than they do about the concrete benefits of breast milk. Why has breastfeeding re-asserted itself over the last twenty years, and why are the government, scientific and medical communities, and so many mothers so invested in the idea? Parsing the rhetoric of expert advice, including the recent National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign, and rigorously questioning the scientific evidence, Wolf uncovers a path by which a mother can feel informed and confident about how best to feed her thriving infant---whether flourishing by breast or by bottle.