Nursing Mother's Companion 8th Edition: The Breastfeeding Book Mothers Trust, from Pregnancy Through Weaning

This is my go-to baby shower gift if I know mom-to-be is going to breast feed. It’s a comprehensive guide to everything that you migjt have a question about wether you are new to nursing or a pro!

I got this book about a week ago and I have read almost the whole thing. I am a mother of 2 with 3 bonus kiddos and one on the way. They were all formula babies. However, this time around I have chose to breast-feed and I’m super excited for this journey but I had no knowledge of it and am super nervous, so my fiancé purchased this book for me and it is so informative. It has taught me so many things. Have a-lot to learn still but it gave me a good idea of what to expect.

Great book with lots of insights to questions I didn’t even know I needed to ask.

This book is a great resource: informative, specific, and thorough. This book is so rich with resources from diagrams to website links for videos to help mothers feel confident about nursing. For moms-to-be who want to at least try breastfeeding, it has just about everything you could ever need to know about feeding your baby and more (dealing with colic, etc.). I am a second-time mom and found it useful even as a refresher. For me, the appendices and reviews of different pumps were especially helpful. I caution readers to take some things in the book with a grain of salt. While I certainly want to breastfeed, language such as "failed" and "gave up" when referring to moms who switch to exclusively pumping (referred to as an "artificial" feeding method) or formula is unhelpful. It likely only increases the sense of shame and failure of moms who probably gave their best effort and are already having a difficult time. (Later on, the author does give helpful information about exclusive pumping, which I appreciated.) Sometimes, epidurals and early inductions need to happen for medical reasons. There is a better way to provide information on the way these interventions could impact breastfeeding than with such hurtful language. I also find it dangerous to recommend bed-sharing, though the author provides alternatives like a bedside bassinet. Overall, this is still a fantastic resource! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC; this review contains my honest opinions.

The nursing book covered every nursing challenge I ever encountered! I have breastfed all 8 of my children.

TL/DR: This is one of the best references for a nursing mother to have in her library. Pros: o With over 25 years and 8 editions, the book has been refined to be a great reference o Along with The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, one of the most recommended books, over a million copies sold o Not expensive for a reference book o Has an appendix covering drug safety o Highlighted "Survival Guides" Cons: o Some people find this book judgmental Okay, so your first thought here is probably: should a man really be reviewing this book on what is clearly a mothering thing? Well, I'm entering the review information, but the review itself is coming from my wife, who has forty years of experience as a nursing mom, a physician assistant, and a lactation consultant. She is definitely an appropriate reviewer. Kathleen Huggins has issued an eighth edition of this venerable book this year, and it continues to improve as a reference for nursing moms. Nursing is a natural process, but that doesn't mean it is always easy. This book is designed to help with those rough spots. My wife is super-happy with this book and the resources it offers. Some of the specifics that are really great in this book are help with picking out a breast pump, dealing with weaning, introduction of solid foods, nursing while employed outside the home, and problems like headaches and nausea. I asked my wife to comment on the thoroughness of the book as well as the perception by some that it is judgmental. She feels that this is a really good reference, but did want to address the question of judginess and mom-shaming. In her opinion, books like this one come from people with a strong sense of advocacy towards nursing as the healthiest choice for a child's development. That commitment to nursing can be a little overwhelming, particularly to someone who is struggling in their journey. She doesn't feel that the author of this book (and many others) are judging mothers, but the authors are going to be forceful in their encouragement that breastfeeding problems can be overcome. It's important for mothers to feel okay with both that advocacy and their own decisions at the same time. -------- I'm honored to be included in the Amazon Vine program, and I work really hard to make these reviews and videos helpful. I put in a lot of effort to try to help you learn the most important facts about the product. Good luck with your decision, and if you do decide to buy the product, I hope the things you find in this review make it easier to use.

As a IBCLC, RLC of 25+ years (now retired) I can say Kathleen Huggins's "Nursing Mother's Companion" is a book I have recommended to hundreds of women. This book's easy to use format written in a compassionate voice is the perfect book for mothers to be, or new mothers. It covers all the topics a new mom needs to know. From how to breastfeed, how and when to introduce foods, going back to work and pumping, as well as different ways to wean your baby. But the best part of this book, and the reason why I recommend it so much is because of this most important section. "How to survive", the first week, second week, and so on. A new mom just has a simple section to read for each new week. For any new sleep deprived mom who experiencing pain during feeding, and concerned about if their baby is getting enough to eat, to "is this normal". This book will be a lifesaver.

My wife started off breastfeeding my daughter 40 years ago. Sadly, several seemingly insurmountable problems forced her her to stop. This book directly address those very problems. If we'd had this information then, there's a good chance the effort would have been successful. Written and regularly updated (this is the 8th edition) by an RN with many other letters behind her name, and many years of experience in the subject, it's hard to imagine a book could be any more thorough. Even so, it's very easy to read. The book is laid out so that everything is easy to find without having to search through the whole thing, and also has a good index at the end. As the title implies, this is a book about breastfeeding. Anything else is beyond it's scope, though the author acknowledges in several places that not all women can successfully breastfeed. You will find no judgment here if that's you. If you have questions or problems, you can find the answers here. A great resource.