*To learn how to win a copy of this book, see the directions at the bottom of this post.
A friend of mine who grew up on a farm once told me how she knew that their cats' kittens were being weaned. One day, she said, the kittens would try to nurse, and the mother cat would just start batting them away. That was it.
For us humans, weaning is often quite a bit more complicated. How do you know when the time is right? Should you do it gradually? What if you can't? What if your baby or toddler shows signs of distress? What do you use to fill the nutritional and/or emotional space that weaning occupied? How will you feel after you've weaned? If you don't want to wean but feel you must, what are some ways of keeping the nursing relationship going?
The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning (Kathleen Huggins and Linda Ziedrich, Harvard Common Press, 2007, 2nd ed.) is a book for mothers who want to spend some time thinking and exploring the process of weaning.
The introduction to the book provides a history of weaning practices in the Western world. This walk through weaning history may be more than most mothers might need, but those with a broader interest in breastfeeding will find it fascinating.
The main section of the book is divided into chapters tailored to the age of the baby at weaning, from infants to age three and beyond. This is helpful in that the issues are quite different depending upon the age of the child at weaning. Each of these sections concludes with several color-tabbed pages of the nitty gritty practical information a mother needs.
A good portion of the book is devoted to trouble-shooting problems that might lead a mother to wean before she wants to. For mothers exploring the idea or on the fence about weaning, these sections may prove quite helpful. If a mother has already made the decision to wean, this emphasis may be a bit troubling. There is an interesting section at the end of the book - a post-weaning epilogue of sorts - that discusses life after weaning. The authors write that there is little written about the physical and emotional changes mothers experience after breastfeeding is concluded, but I still found their discussion very interesting.
This is the second edition of this book, and in addition to some attractive graphic changes, the book has been made easier to read by highlighted boxes which summarize main points, and color coded pages of practical information.
Not everyone needs to read an entire book about weaning, but for mothers who want to explore the idea in depth and get detailed practical advice, The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning is a good investment.
I have a copy of this book to give away. To enter to win it, please leave a comment below by the end of the day on May 25th. I'll pick a winner randomly and notify you by email if you've won. Please remember to use a "real" email address so I can contact you. U.S. addresses only, please.
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