Kathleen Huggins

Not sure if it's really any help at this point so no rating. She covers everything and I mean everything. To the point where I was slightly appalled at the end when she suggested that breastfeeding until 4-years-old, through another pregnancy, was doable. I'd prefer not, thank you very much.

I appreciated her devotion to the topic-- and I understand it. But, as I read about feeding through illness after illness, I got tired. I'm sure that ONE bottle during a bout of the stomach flu or whatever wouldn't kill the baby.

Also, the way the book is set up makes it rather repetitive. So be warned. I don't think it was meant to be read straight through, but jumped around from section to section depending on your concerns.… (mehr)

Severely repetitive- definitely meant as a reference book to consult, rather than something to read through. Also lots of scare tactics about the horrible things that could happen if you a) use drugs during birth (might make breastfeeding harder!) or b) feed your baby formula (your baby will be stupid! and might die!).

The most disconcerting part, to me, was the repeated discussion of how to keep your milk supply going... NO MATTER WHAT. Seriously, it seemed like the author believed that the worst part of having cancer or needing surgery is that it might make your milk supply dwindle.

Probably could have been at least 50% shorter without sacrificing any information or utility. Perhaps the 7th edition was more tightly edited.… (mehr)

This is the best book on infant nutrition I've read yet... not that I've looked into that many, but it answered a lot of questions I'd had about how to best manage the transition from breastfeeding to solid foods.

The authors are strongly biased towards longer-term breastfeeding whenever possible, which might bother some people, but it was helpful to me because that means they actually deal with the issues of older nurslings, which is what I have. Most advice on weaning amounts to: "Oh, just drop a feed every week/few days and replace it with a meal or formula." That doesn't work so well with a vocal, single-minded toddler who knows what she wants!

I also really enjoyed the first chapter which includes an overview of the history of breastfeeding and its substitutes in "the West." It's a wonder anyone in Europe or North America survived infancy in the last few centuries! I would highly recommend this book to anyone breastfeeding, regardless of how long they plan to continue it.… (mehr)