Nursing Your Kids

Mama Knows Breast: a Beginner’s Guide to Breastfeeding is a succinct, one-handed read full of well-organized facts and advice about breastfeeding. In other words, Andi Silverman’s book is ideal for a new mom trying to get the hang of breastfeeding with a day old infant attached to her breast 20 out of 24 hours a day.

Starting with the pros and cons, the chapters cover basic breastfeeding instructions, a question and answer section, breastfeeding etiquette, sex, getting help from your spouse, pumping, and weaning. Each chapter has several “From the Mouths of Mom’s” inset boxes where moms share their experiences.

Silverman’s tone is light and engaging. She’s realistic about breastfeeding and doesn’t portray it as all sunshine and roses. She offers solid advice about the little things that most breastfeeding books don’t address, like repacking your diaper bag every night and how well chosen accessories can disguise the fact that you’ve been wearing the same jeans for days. The breastfeeding etiquette chapter, especially the hilarious, Mad Magazine like “Responding to Critics” section, is a must-read for new moms who are justifiably nervous about nursing in public.

The book does have its flaws. While I appreciate that Silverman doesn’t equate formula with poison (as one off-putting breastfeeding book I unfortunately read during the week I had to supplement with formula in a dropper does), I was a bit surprised that she says formula feeding is “a viable alternative” to breastfeeding. Breast is best, and Mama Knows Breast is a book about breastfeeding, not about why formula’s not that bad. The nursing multiples section is lacking and I wish the weaning section were more informative. A number of topics are covered in a single paragraph, which would have frustrated me when I was struggling the first few months and looking for concrete advice. I was also slightly alarmed when Silverman briefly mentioned the idea of sleep training a three month old.

Mama Knows Breast has an index, a comprehensive listing of online resources, and a list of more instructional breastfeeding books. Most importantly I genuinely enjoyed reading Silverman’s candid and humorous beginner’s guide. Mama Knows Breast is destined to become my standard “off the registry” shower gift for first time moms.

Read more about the book and the author at Mama Knows Breast: Adventures in Breastfeeding.

Mama Knows Breast: A Beginner’s Guide to Breastfeeding, breastfeeding books, book reviews