The ABCs of Breastfeeding: Everything a Mom Needs to Know for a
Happy Nursing Experience, is a
new breastfeeding reference book by Stacey Rubin, IBCLC (Amacom, 2008). As I've mentioned in other breastfeeding book reviews, two
basic things I look for in a breastfeeding book are ease of use (how
fast can I find the information I need) and accuracy of information (is
the material up to date and research-based). Beyond that, each
breastfeeding book has something that makes it special, and those
qualities will appeal to some and not others.
So for starters, The ABCs of Breastfeeding is thoughtfully
organized, with a good index. I feel fairly confident that a new mother would be able to
find information quickly (with one notable exception discussed
below). The information is research-based
and up-to-date, and presented clearly.
A particular strength of this book is its prenatal section, which
guides mothers through finding a breastfeeding friendly doctor,
"thinking with a breastfeeding mindset" (a concept new to me and one I
think is very positive), and planning for a gentle birth. Like other
recent books, it devotes a good section to the power of skin-to-skin
contact.
Rubin includes a number of mothers' stories throughout the book
which are based on her own clinical experience. This helps the book
achieve its calm and reassuring tone. This book is not as comprehensive as other breastfeeding books,
such as The Nursing Mothers' Companion or Breastfeeding Made Simple, but for some of us less can be more. Each chapter ends with a list of main points, summarized with words that start
with the letters A, B, and C. This format is a little awkward at
times. It's intended to help
readers remember the main points, but in some cases the concept had
to be twisted around so much to fit the letter that it seems unlikely
that anyone would remember the point.
I was disappointed that to find that one of the most important
topics to cover - latch - is not addressed in much detail. In fact, while
I found information on positioning to be more detailed than in other
books, I had to hunt for information on how to achieve a comfortable
and effective latch. It's only at the end of the chapter on
positioning that latch is discussed (addressed as "attachment"), and
there are no illustrations to accompany it. Breastfeeding Made Simple, by contrast, offers an entire chapter on this topic, with many illustrations. The book is also missing an illustration of a
common position - the cross cradle hold.
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