The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding 8 Rev Upd Edition by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, Teresa Pitman published by Ballantine Books (2010) Paperback

by Diana West

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

Paperback

Reviews

[Katie Stucker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has practical info but is unacceptably judgmental and even bitchy. As one example, the author baselessly rails against epidural analgesia in labor and implies (without evidence) that it causes all newborn woes: “if your friend says she loved her epidural, then ask her how the first few weeks of motherhood went.” I wouldn’t recommend this book because there’s other sources of good breastfeeding info that are actually supportive of mothers.

[Jessie Hallett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Practical day to day tips and tricks completely overshadowed by blatantly false “medical information” and fear mongering.

[Sarah]

I'm sorry, I just can't read this book anymore. They chalk up so many issues to "birth interventions" without any data to back this up, and often without defining what they are talking about. As someone who is having a hospital birth by necessity (all be it I have a supportive OB and I plan to have an unmedicated, low intervention birth), this book is just driving me up a wall.
I'm grateful I have a mother and mother-in-law to talk with, as they had a mixture of hospital and home births as well as a mixture of interventions and non-intervention, and they managed to nurse all their kids well. I think they will be a much better resource than this book.

Content note: As one would expect, there are some needed pictures and diagrams. Needed for the topic, but if I had a copy of this book, I would be mindful of where I left it, especially with young boys in the house.

[Chloé · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by so many people, but I quickly became frustrated by the mom-shaming in the first couple chapters. The “facts” presented about epidurals are completely wrong, and in general it makes it sound like a hospital birth should only be a last resort. And according to this book, don’t even think about supplementing with formula, it could ruin your baby’s digestive system “for life.” The parts that are meant to be encouraging - like talking about how natural and beautiful breastfeeding is, that it’s the easiest thing in the world that people have done for thousands of years - could easily backfire into creating so much shame if you have any problems with breastfeeding. The benefits of the book come from the week by week chapters with tips for how to do it and what to expect. I would recommend completely skipping the chapters about before or during the birth. Use this book if you’re committed to breastfeeding and need guidance along the way, but don’t let it bring you down if you need to change from breastfeeding to formula feeding or supplementing for any reason.

[Monica Mohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew a book on breastfeeding could be 500 pages, but I honestly learned so much and it took away my fear of struggling to breast feed and informed me so much on the benefits!

[Emma Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad to have this as a reference. A lot of things I’ll leave.

[Deanna Dilts Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the most helpful resource (book, podcast, hospital webcast, etc) i read on BF. it helped encourage me and gave a lot of helpful tips and provided actionable steps and solid resources. It also provided info RE things to avoid that are frequently pushed on young mothers that don’t know any better by nurses, lactation consultants, etc. that ultimately usually negatively impact BF. This book gave me the confidence to say no when I did encounter those things (nipple shields, early bottle introduction, etc). I have continued to use this book as a resource throughout my BF journey.

[Tay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great advice on learning how to breastfeed. I wish it didn’t mention the foundation they created soooo much though. It was mentioned multiple times a chapter and that got a little annoying.

[Xan Sibley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative but also felt like a recurring at for Le Leche League 🤷‍♀️

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read this book with each pregnancy. The first time I thought it was so amazing and it really laid the foundation of my nursing journeys. I’m really glad I did read it, and it helped me have the resolve to continue nursing when the start was very difficult. But my first baby didn’t take a bottle because I waited too long, at the advice of this book. My second baby stopped nursing at 11 months and nothing this book advised to do would convince her otherwise. She was just done. And no, not every single child will nurse to age 3 if you’re doing it “right.” This time around I found the book to be pretty judgey and old fashioned in its thinking. It does use data and studies, but I lean much more toward the Emily Oster way of thinking now that I’ve been a parent for 6 years. Still has some useful diagrams and tips, but I skimmed it, thought it was a bit too heavy handed, and probably won’t be returning to it.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has lots of actionable advice and techniques with personal stories intertwined. However, they are very loose with evidence on some fairly controversial ideas like safety of co-sleeping and correlation of intelligence and temperament from breastfeeding.

Id recommend reading the book to get an understanding of the La Leche League organization since it feels like every doctor recommends them as a resource for support and to bookmark some techniques. But like all books in this genre, take it with a grain of salt.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is definitely an agenda behind this one (obviously, it’s by La Leche League, so it promotes them many, many times). Also, very pro co-sleeping, so one should be aware of that. But the information on breastfeeding itself was incredibly useful if that’s something you’re considering for your own pregnancy/parenthood.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

good général information about breastfeeding to use alongside advice from lactation consultants. wouldn't consider this a solid form of medically proven research but just a decent guide about what to expect with some anecdotes and information to let you know what's normal or not. à good place to start

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really just skimmed most of this book as it did not align with other practices I’ve read and experienced. Definitely some helpful tips for specific scenarios but it feels like they are pointing you toward their LLL meetings. And despite the warning that they have a traditional/old school approach everything sounded very crunchy/granola…

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. It is in need of an update...badly in need. There is dangerously outdated information in this edition. If your plan to be the definitive work, you'll have to keep up with the research.

[Kris Cashion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a few months out from being a first time mom, and this book really seems to be the best resource for all topics associated with breastfeeding. I will be bringing it to the hospital and having it bedside as a reference for any questions I have.

[Krystal Waugamon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used various versions of this book from my first born in 2007 to my twins born 2016. I worked my way thru several problems while nursing with information from this book. La Leche League is a wonderful resource!! Highly recommend!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely fantastic. I wish I had read it for my three boys. As a doula and birth educator, I will definitely be recommending this book to all my clients who hope to breastfeed their babies!

[Chelsea LaLande · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good and informational especially for the newborn stage when you just need a little help

[Marlena May · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive guide filled with solid advice and encouraging anecdotes from mothers.

[Emmi Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, a pretty helpful resource! Be aware they are hardcore pro co-sleeping, so just be prepared if you don’t agree with that.

[Kristin Wickham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually learned a lot from this book. I’m going to keep it for reference when baby is born. Would have been a great read pre-first baby

[Elizabeth Heller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great breastfeeding reference book! This is a good one to have available throughout your whole breastfeeding journey.

[Esther Kozakevich · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is genuinely despicable and I truly feel the authors of it are evil :)

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I had read this sooner. Great resource for new moms.

[Ara Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful with some uncommon problems encountered by a breastfeeding mom, but in my opinion, the book is a bit disorganized.