Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers

This is a fabulous resource for moms who want to breastfeed. I read it before my son's birth and used it as a guide afterward. It's got great advice for pumping too if you're going back to work - the other top book is pretty judgmental about moms who aren't going to stay at home.

This is by far the best breastfeeding book I have read in my search to become more educated about nursing. I tried, and failed, to breastfeed my first child, and I wanted to read up before I had my second child to make sure I could get it to work. I foolishly thought all babies nursed perfectly and all moms made enough milk and there weren't any issues. Yikes. I was wrong, and I found that out with my first child. I only nursed her until 5 weeks. In preparation for my second child, I studied this book, and it really made it all make sense. I felt confident that I would be able to breastfeed and troubleshoot any issues I had. I continued to have problems with my second child, but I was told by my OB/GYN and children's pediatrician that low milk supply is a fallacy unless you have a few rare issues. Unfortunately, I found out I did have one of those rare issues- Postpartum Thyroiditis, and I was only able to nurse my son until 6 weeks. HOWEVER, after all the stress of breastfeeding, this was the one book in all the research I did that really hit it on the head and just made it click. I figured out how to latch properly and what to do with conditions that arise. It has great step-by-step instructions and diagrams to make you feel at ease. It is instructional and encouraging, but not in just a cheerleading "you can do it" kind of way. It had a lot more detail and instructions than just fluff. Which was extremely helpful for someone who had been through it once and failed. And I'm sure had I not had Thyroid problems, this book would have made breastfeeding simple.

This is a good book about breastfeeding. It is a bit frightening how adamant they are about not supplementing with formula though. This is probably why some women feel defeated when they have to supplement. Overall, I did learn some things I would like to try when I start breastfeeding.

Of all the breastfeeding books I have read, which may just have been about all of them out there throughout my 5 pregnancies and births, this is the book that truly helped me understand what is going on between my body and my baby and what I can do to help myself and baby through the transition from pregnancy to successfully breastfeeding.

This book is so full of knowledge and help for the new mom learning how to breastfeed and how to deal with common challenges, as well as the genius ways nature has set the whole breastfeeding thing up for success if we clue in. Not only is it great for first timers, I learned massive amounts from reading it with my 3rd. It was full of ah-ha moments and helped me through many challenges, as establishing breastfeeding has always been the hardest part of giving birth for me.

This is the one and only book that I have read that enabled me to address my problems at home and with confidence. It was a fabulous education on breastfeeding in general, but I especially appreciated the new-to-me information on infants reflexes and how to work with them and not against them, which I had been doing; it helped me figure out a way to get baby latched on well better than any nurse ever did; and it helped me get through those first challenging 6 weeks of engorgement, nipple pain, round the clock breastfeeding, etc.

It explains the physiology of your body and baby's body and brings so much understanding of the whole process of breastfeeding that it dispelled much of my anxiety. I was so relieved to read of the reason for the unceasing nursing when it seems like baby just isn't getting enough. I know that I am not the only mom that has worried that maybe I am just not producing enough and might need to supplement. It was such a comfort to read that this is baby's way of ensuring enough milk production, and not necessarily a lack of milk. It also gave the signs of baby truly not getting enough milk. Such a relief. Knowing that feeling like a round the clock human pacifier was only temporary and would ensure that I would make enough for baby's next growth spurt made it bearable.

There are just so many gems that I found in this book, I can't say enough good things about it. I now give a copy or recommend it to all my expecting friends and family. It is the best and most helpful book on breastfeeding I have ever read.

This book is tremendously helpful. I highly recommend reading it while you're expecting, particularly if you don't have a lot of prior knowledge about breastfeeding and are concerned about starting off on the right foot. The book helped me understand a number of common complaints I heard from other moms about breastfeeding and learn how to avoid similar problems (like soreness, latching problems, and supply issues). I used a lot of the tips and tools from the book immediately after my son was born. We were lucky that breastfeeding came relatively easily to the two of us, but I think this book helped things along, particularly with respect to ensuring a good latch. It is gives very useful descriptions and pictures of different breastfeeding positions and hunger cues, and it clearly explains how to determine (and stop worrying about) whether your baby is gaining enough weight (soiled diapers, weight gain, etc.). As a bonus, if you're looking for encouragement about why breastfeeding is best (like a pep talk), this book provides ample evidence. The authors do a nice job summarizing research on breastfeeding and citing their sources, rather than offering advice that doesn't seem backed up by science. If I had one complaint about this book, it would be that the authors seem to sometimes paint too rosy a picture about breastfeeding. For example, they generally attribute soreness to a poor latch. I checked with two lactation consultants and several nurses about this while recovering postpartum, and the consensus was that soreness (beyond what the authors describe) really is normal, even with a good latch. I think the overall message here is very useful, though- that if you're having problems with feeding (like soreness), seek help, because there's a good chance something can be done to correct the (potential) problem so that you and your baby can have a great breastfeeding relationship.

This book is just okay. Lovely pictures for positioning and loads of helpful info, it's just VERY preachy and assumes everything will be perfect if you do things "right", completely disregarding that babies need to figure things out too! Overall would recommend with a big grain of salt.

I like how easy it is to read and understand breastfeeding. It was one of my reading requirements and after reading so much, it's refreshing to see a more simplistic approach that would also cater to where I see it happening (in PH) so kudos!
I appreciate the avoiding bottles, co-sleeping and really giving it a lot of practice (since breastfeeding is an art form) to give yourself the best breastfeeding chance.

This was my breastfeeding bible. I'm a trained healthcare professional and I learned so much. A must read for anyone preparing to breastfeed. I successfully exclusively breastfed my nicu, colicky, dairy intolerant baby and continued to nurse for 19 months because of what I learned in this book, especially in getting through the first month I would not have done so without this reference.

I'll keep this short: No matter if you are definitely planning on breastfeeding or just considering it, buy this book. But it and read the pertinent chapters BEFORE little one arrives.

It will help you really understand what to expect and how to prepare for breastfeeding. I felt so ready and assured by knowing the key points in this book and I really feel it made a huge difference in the success of my breastfeeding experience. These gals know their stuff.

Wonderful book for first time moms. I read this about a month before giving birth and felt it was so straightforward, easy to read, easy to understand and intuitive. It reinforced my belief that my body would figure things out and provided very helpful information to get off to a great start with nursing. I would recommend this to anyone who plans to breastfeeding, no matter how much you think you know.