Since starting this blog I've been fortunate to get to know Andi Silverman, whose book, Mama Knows Breast was published a few months ago. Below are my thoughts about the book, as well as a mini-interview with her.
There are lots of reference books out there about breastfeeding. Not enough to fill a bookshelf, but enough to make a good crash if they all fall off your nightstand at once. Not that I would know.
So, what sets Andi Silverman's Mama Knows Breast apart from the stand-bys like the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and The Nursing Mother's Companion?
Mama Knows Breast is witty, concise, and down to earth. It takes a pop culture approach to breastfeeding, consistent with the spirit the publisher, Quirk Books, whose motto is Irreverence + Reference = Irreference. Breastfeeding, and parenting in general, is such natural territory for humor, that it's surprising that most books pass up the opportunity. We are, after all, talking about poop, gas, and leaking breastmilk.
When I read a breastfeeding reference book I'm primarily concerned with two things: the accuracy and scope of the information, and the the ease of use - meaning how easy it is to find information on nipple pain at 2:00 am. I found the information to be solid, and for a small book Andi has covered the bases. It's not encyclopedic, like The Nursing Mother's Companion, and you won't find much on topics like extended nursing, but it covers the bases. And since there are so many good online resources available, it's probably enough to get most mothers started. It's simply presented, with a good index, so it passes the ease of use test, too.
Mama Knows Breast is a great book for a mother who wants to know the basics, presented in a fun and non-threatening manner. It may be particularly good as a shower gift for a pregnant friend who is feeling a bit squeamish about breastfeeding, since the illustrations are so attractive and the tone is so hip and down-to-earth. It's not a book for the mom who needs to know everything about breastfeeding - you know, the mom who writes down every feeding (L or R?) for months and months, or for the committed attachment parenting mother.
There was one section of Mama Knows Breast that made me a bit uncomfortable. One is a section in which Andi lists the ten best and ten worst things about breastfeeding. Some of the things she lists, such as sleep deprivation, are not necessarily breastfeeding problems (I know formula feeding moms who don't get much sleep either) or have solutions. However, I also know that more information is usually better, and that preparing mothers for things that can be hard is far better than pretending they don't exist.
Here is a quick interview with Andi on her book:
Why did you devote a whole chapter to sex and relaxation? Actually, I really just want to know why you included the sex part.
Before we have kids our breasts are part of our sexuality. We buy sexy bras. We see advertisements of half-dressed models all over the place. So it can be hard to make that psychological shift from form to function. Breastfeeding is a whole new way of looking at your breasts.
I love posting personal breastfeeding stories on this blog, and would like to publish more. So, consider this your invitation to be a guest blogger and share your story of overcoming a breastfeeding challenge. I'm particularly interested in experiences such as:
Many of the items for sale are marked with the distance the item traveled (i.e. our eggs might be labeled "10 miles" because they came from a farm 10 miles away), and there are usually cookies and 'pedal powered' corn muffins for sale. All summer we have bouquets like the one shown here.
