The Food of Love: Your Formula for Successful Breastfeeding by mother and cartoonist Kate Evans (Soft Skull Press, 2009, $16.95) makes well-researched, complex information about breastfeeding accessible to all women, regardless of their personal lifestyle choices. Avoiding the preachy tone often found in breastfeeding books, Evans employs humour, cartoons and personal anecdotes to punctuate the wealth of useful breastfeeding information.
Advice on Correct Breastfeeding Positioning
The first breastfeeding hurdle to overcome is establishing a correct 'latch' or positioning. Evans describes how to do this in a step-by-step way, accompanied by helpful cartoon diagrams. Different ways of holding the baby when feeding are also illustrated and described, as well as general handling of the first breastfeeds. This information is often found out only through trial and error, and many women lack adequate support networks, so for the first-time mother, this is invaluable advice.
Milk Supply Issues
One of the main reasons many women stop breastfeeding is because of a perceived 'low milk supply'. Evans is reassuring and to the point: Yes, you do have enough milk! It's practices like scheduled feeding that threaten the supply, as a baby needs to suckle often to stimulate enough milk production. Evans dispels several popular feeding myths with commonsense and good research.
Self-Care for Breastfeeding Mothers
The chapter on care for new mothers advises letting housekeeping go in the early days and making rest a priority. There is detailed information on which types of food and medication are advisable and which should be cut out. Stress and depression has a whole chapter of its own, as does the often-overlooked subject of sex. Unlike many other parenting books, the mother's well-being is not seen as peripheral to the baby's, but just as important. However, the author's advice regarding speaking to a friend with depression seems to put too much responsibility on a non-professional to evaluate a state of mental health.
Breastfeeding Problems and Unusual Situations
Breastfeeding two or even more is dealt with, as well as how to prevent and treat common breastfeeding problems such as mastitis, thrush, and sore or cracked nipples.
Baby-wearing, Co-Sleeping and Full-term Breastfeeding
The book provides detailed information on how to 'wear' your baby and how to feed your baby 'on the go' in various sling positions. Evans also discusses co-sleeping and through the use of wonderful cartoons, illustrates how much easier it makes the all-important night feeds. Full-term or extended breastfeeding (feeding beyond infancy) is given a thorough treatment too. However, it is not prescriptive, and cribs, strollers and even formula feeding are presented as legitimate choices for mothers.
Bad Breastfeeding Habits and Weaning
Evans suggests ways to deal with 'bad habits' such as the baby biting and twiddling when feeding. The subject of weaning from the breast is sensitively discussed with practical tips on how to do it when the time is right.
This book is both a handy 'how-to' guide on breastfeeding as well as a useful reference that can be used again and again. It's an enjoyable, lively and humorous read, and it stays open on the page, enabling it to be read with hands free!
Hayley Nichols - I am a freelance writer of non-fiction as well as a fiction writer. Most of my work is published under my name 'Morgan Nichols'. I have a ...
