The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

Product Information

LLLGB supports the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). We believe that breastfeeding is an integral part of ensuring the health and wellbeing of all children. LLL Leaders offer support with the normal course of breastfeeding. The Professional Liaison (PL) Department is a small department within LLLGB providing support and information to Leaders dealing with medical queries. Our PL Department are part of a wider LLL Global PL Group. If your friend tells you how she 'loved her epidural,' ask her how her first month of motherhood went." Wow lady, every new mother I've ever asked said the first month was terrible regardless of epidural or not, so let's not encourage all our readers to be as b*tchily morally superior as you, OK?

The other reason is that, though I definitely agree that breast is best and I'm all in for exclusive breastfeeding the first six months and to the right of women to breastfeed their babies for as long as they want, the book was still *too* in my face about it. Like, look. You are in the hospital. Perhaps, like me, you ended up having a c-section after labor failed to progress and there was fetal distress and you cried because this was not what you wanted and maybe no one was on board with the whole breast crawl in the operating room and maybe you were exhausted and in pain because you are resistant to painkillers and you are trying to have the baby latch and he just doesn't know how and you don't know how because for all the photos and youtube videos in the world you have only two hands and how exactly do you cup your breast with the c-hold and bring your baby to the breast while keeping his mouth open and positioning and all that shit that later comes super easy? And you cry. And the nurse asks if you want a bottle of formula. You know what? IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. Yes yes nipple confusion and colostrum and all that. My milk didn't come in for about a day and a half and I was offering the baby the breast so if there was colostrum coming out he was having it, but it was also sweltering hot and I kept going through water bottles and this tiny human was having only drops of liquid. I was going mad. In part, with guilt. For offering him a bottle after half an hour of clumsy breast latching. The book did a good job of making me feel like shit (along with a few unhelpful visitors because BREAST BREAST ONLY BREAST DON'T OFFER ANYTHING ELSE) but not much helping. I think it has plenty of great advice, but I could have used a book that told me to calm down and do what I could instead of parroting the same things with these mom-stories confirming that YES BREAST IS BEST BREAST IS BEST BREAST BREAST. LLLI maintains a close working relationship with the World Health Organisation. Because of the influence of LLL the WHO recognises the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the baby’s life, which the UK NHS has also adopted as best practice. LLLI are partners with WABA.

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The LLLGB Panel of Professional Advisors (PPA) are a body of experts in breastfeeding and birth research and practice. They advise our Professional Liaison Department and support us with medical queries and challenges. Alert and active participation by the mother in childbirth is a help in getting breastfeeding off to a good start. Don't get me started on how they talk about hospitals in comparison to the ever-idyllic home birth. And, by the way, seriously NO OFFENSE if you chose a home birth; It's the attitude of the book and the authors I have an issue with, not the setting of your labor & delivery. ("Hospital routines, feeling like a patient, bright lights, scary equipment, unaccustomed smells - they all make us feel uneasy and make labor more difficult.") ...Hmm, do you have any actual proof for that last statement?

So... breastfeeding! I began reading this book about a month before my baby was born. I never finished it before the birth, and after the birth I was usually reading on my phone while I breastfed, and if I had doubts or questions I looked them up online (kellymom.com, that's all). Handling an actual physical book while trying to feed the baby just didn't work for me, so that's one reason I didn't give this as much use as I thought I would. The new edition will be published by Ballantine/PRH, the current publisher. After having discussions with them and the writers’ team, we decided to aim for October 2024 as the publication date for the new book. The writers are already working enthusiastically and the Board has closed the Task Force. It has been a truly amazing journey! All Task Force members are feeling immensely proud of their work over the past year. We can’t wait to hold the 9th edition of The Art of Breastfeeding in our hands! TASK FORCE MEMBERS La Leche League was founded by seven mothers in 1956, to support friends who wanted to breastfeed their babies. They began a grass roots organisation that continues to offer breastfeeding information, encouragement and support to mothers and parents worldwide through a network of thousands of Leaders and groups. I quit reading at chapter 11. I couldn't take anymore of it. But from skimming the rest, it doesn't appear to let up. They are critical of pumping and supplementing with formula for ANY reason whatsoever. How working or single mothers are supposed to follow their advice is beyond me. Dads aren't even hardly in the picture in this book. Sending the baby to the nursery after your delivery is a major no-no. Your OB or pediatrician is probably of the devil and has no clue what they're talking about.we provide evidence-based responses to government consultations e.g. LLLGB was one of the lead organisations in forming an alliance of breastfeeding organisations to produce the “Breastfeeding Supplement”to the parliamentary “1001 Critical Days” initiative; LLLGB is not a pressure group. We strive to offer families accurate, evidence-based information so that they can make informed decisions that feel right for themselves and their child. We support you to achieve your nursing goals, whatever they may be, for example breastfeeding for one week, combi feeding, or exclusively expressing. Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer, epidemiological study in 30 countries, 2002. Reported in Lancet 360(9328):187-195.

LLLGB is represented across many different forums. We highlight and promote the views of breastfeeding families. For example: In the early years, the baby has an intense need to be with his mother which is as basic as his need for food. My mom was given this book when her doctor told her she couldn't continue to breastfeed me once she was pregnant with my younger sister. An earlier version of this book told her there was no reason she had to stop, which was empowering (and correct!). I'm glad she had it for that reason, but helping her make that decision is maybe the only good result this book has ever had? We provide evidence-based information to NGOs (e.g. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Baby Feeding Law Group (BFLG)); If you are unable to breastfeed or don’t feel it is right for you, you can still talk to us. Our volunteers can provide a listening ear for parents to talk about their feelings, and concerns, enabling them to discuss the situation with someone who will be completely non-judgmental. We don’t offer advice as every mother/baby relationship is unique and what is right for one will not be right for another, but we offer information to empower mothers to make a decision that is right for them.

Customer reviews

Have you considered not having a job just so you can be a better breastfeeder? It's a great choice, provided breastfeeding is your only priority in life and also you have complete financial independence! If I could give half stars, this one would get 2.5. It did have some very good information that I will be using. However, it was almost overwhelmed by the obnoxious attitude taken by LLL towards breastfeeding. Real-parent wisdom on breastfeeding comfortably – from avoiding soreness to simply enjoying the connection with your baby. La Leche League International’s classic bestselling guide providing a range of nursing information, ideas and stories – from preparation during pregnancy to the world of weaning, from nursing positions to expressing and storing your milk. This ultimate support resource offers: Nursing special-needs, premies, multiples, and adopted babies – and how to thrive no matter what curveball life throws.

Mother and baby need to be together early and often to establish a satisfying breastfeeding relationship and reliable milk supply. For the healthy, full-term baby, human milk is the only food necessary until the baby shows signs of readiness for complementary foods, about the middle of the first year after birth. real-mom wisdom on breastfeeding comfortably—from avoiding sore nipples to simply enjoying the amazing bonding experience Many LLLGB Leaders are active in their communities helping to ensure quality breastfeeding support is available to mothers. Many Leaders sit on: Infant Feeding Strategy Groups, Breastfeeding Local Implementation Groups, and Maternity Voices Partnerships. I committed to exclusively breast feed by daughter long before she was born. However, this book did not help that decision. Instead it made me feel like a terrible mother when things did not work as the book predicted.LLLI is happy to announce the brilliant writing team for the new edition: Jayne Joyce (UK), Bibiana Moreno-Carranza (Mexico), Teresa Pitman (Canada) and Anna Swisher (USA). The four writers are all LLL Leaders. Read their bios here. “A MEETING IN A BOOK” This is the new 8th edition, which I hear is a wonderful improvement. After reading Amber's review ( http://www.strocel.com/the-womanly-ar...), I've been anxious to see what changes have been made. It's definitely heftier than the previous. There are no citations / scientific evidence for any assertions. Statements that are clearly anecdotes or sweeping generalizations are presented as facts.