What do you think?
Rate this book
The Breastfeeding Café: Mothers Share the Joys, Challenges, and Secrets of Nursing
"This book should be a gift at every baby shower. Dr. Behrmann's wisdom, warmth, and information are heartwarming, reassuring, and practical."
---Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause
" The Breastfeeding Cafe will become the book of choice for nursing mothers, and for anyone who wants to learn about the awesome experience of breastfeeding for mothers and their babies."
-Marilyn Yalom, author of History of the Breast and History of the Wife
"A fascinating mixture of storytelling and information, The Breastfeeding Café wisely and honestly explores the history, culture, and realities of breastfeeding. An inspiring, supportive, and influential book."
-Penny Simkin, co-author of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the The Complete Guide
"Here at long last is a guided tour of women's actual experiences with breastfeeding. The Breastfeeding Café offers clinicians invaluable insights, and new mothers-whatever their backgrounds-will find in its pages their own place on the bell curve of the human experience that is breastfeeding."
-Diane Wiessinger, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
This candid collection of real breastfeeding stories takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the full range of emotions and circumstances that make up the nursing experience.
Compelling, moving, and diverse, the stories in The Breastfeeding Café ---from women all over the country---reveal the nursing relationship in all its complexity and seek to create a culture in which breastfeeding women are visible, accepted, and valued.
The Breastfeeding Café isn't a how-to manual on breastfeeding; instead, it offers a thoughtful forum for women to share their experiences with others. Approaching nursing as a feminist issue and one that is very important to child rearing, the book embraces the wide spectrum of women's experiences breastfeeding their children. Organized thematically and framed within a social and cultural context by a sociologist and former nursing mother of two, The Breastfeeding Café moves the subject of women nursing their children out from behind closed doors. A must-read for clinicians, breastfeeding consultants, and both new and expectant mothers who are curious about the nursing experience in all its variety.
Approved for use in La Leche League International Group Libraries.
---Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause
" The Breastfeeding Cafe will become the book of choice for nursing mothers, and for anyone who wants to learn about the awesome experience of breastfeeding for mothers and their babies."
-Marilyn Yalom, author of History of the Breast and History of the Wife
"A fascinating mixture of storytelling and information, The Breastfeeding Café wisely and honestly explores the history, culture, and realities of breastfeeding. An inspiring, supportive, and influential book."
-Penny Simkin, co-author of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the The Complete Guide
"Here at long last is a guided tour of women's actual experiences with breastfeeding. The Breastfeeding Café offers clinicians invaluable insights, and new mothers-whatever their backgrounds-will find in its pages their own place on the bell curve of the human experience that is breastfeeding."
-Diane Wiessinger, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
This candid collection of real breastfeeding stories takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the full range of emotions and circumstances that make up the nursing experience.
Compelling, moving, and diverse, the stories in The Breastfeeding Café ---from women all over the country---reveal the nursing relationship in all its complexity and seek to create a culture in which breastfeeding women are visible, accepted, and valued.
The Breastfeeding Café isn't a how-to manual on breastfeeding; instead, it offers a thoughtful forum for women to share their experiences with others. Approaching nursing as a feminist issue and one that is very important to child rearing, the book embraces the wide spectrum of women's experiences breastfeeding their children. Organized thematically and framed within a social and cultural context by a sociologist and former nursing mother of two, The Breastfeeding Café moves the subject of women nursing their children out from behind closed doors. A must-read for clinicians, breastfeeding consultants, and both new and expectant mothers who are curious about the nursing experience in all its variety.
Approved for use in La Leche League International Group Libraries.
- GenresParentingNonfiction
328 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2005
1 person is currently reading
38 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 12, 2008
I found this book to be very enlightening into the world of breastfeeding. I especially appreciate the fact that it offers many varying stories and points of view on the joys, difficulties, and other aspects of breastfeeding. It doesn't just tell you it's a fantastic thing and everyone loves it and has an easy time of it. A very honest book, a must read for those unfamiliar with breastfeeding.
June 16, 2025
Another skim read and recognizing I’m not alone!
July 3, 2008
A support book for moms who want to breastfeed, are breastfeeding, or tried to breastfeed. Behrmann’s personal experience is interwoven with stories from other mamas and research covering topics that most breastfeeding books don’t even broach. Breastfeeding Café feels like being in a conversation about what breastfeeding is really like: the good, the hard, and the usually unspoken. Beginning with an exploration of all the medical practices that can interfere with breastfeeding, this book explores how to establish breastfeeding and deal with the initial challenges; breastfeeding in our culture: a history, La Leche League, breastfeeding rates, support or lack thereof from family and those around you; breastfeeding and the working mom, breastfeeding and sexuality; extended breastfeeding; weaning and more. Though I appreciated the medical facts in The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers by Jack Newman, MD and Teresa Pitman (CA: Three Rivers Press, 2006), Breastfeeding Café connected me to an extended community that told me the truths breastfeeding advocates don't always share because they don't want people turning to formula.
October 27, 2012
Really really enjoyed this one. Unlike a lot of breastfeeding books, it's not at all judgmental. (I'm right there with the woman who said she had to stop reading the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding before she threw it at a wall.) It's a collection of stories and anecdotes from women in a wide variety of situations reflecting on their experience with nursing. Some of them loved it, were successful, and nursed their babies for years, others nursed for a few weeks or not at all. There are some really amazing stories. The chapter on weaning made me cry, some of the stories are so sad.
February 19, 2009
This is one of my most favorite books. It's hard to describe the nursing "relationship" you have with your children but this book has a lot of stories that I can relate to on all levels. One min I'm happy, laughing the next crying & mad. A must read for ALL mama's esp those who nurse!
July 3, 2013
This really wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I was hoping for a little more "We had this problem and this is how we fixed it" and a little less "People frown on breastfeeding but I did it anyway" and "Everything was so wonderful. Such a great bonding experience."
Read
March 6, 2009I never did finish this book. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but other books took precedence. Someday I'll pick it up and read it again...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews