A La Leche League International classic, this definitive guide to breastfeeding reflects current research while maintaining its trademark style of mother-to-mother sharing. Filled with research along with personal stories from mothers, the seventh revised edition of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding includes new explanations of how the breast makes milk, details about effective positioning and latch-on, suggestions for using herbs and medications to increase milk supply, and more. Updated information provides mothers with the tools needed to make informed decisions about birth, breastfeeding, and parenting.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

EVERY MOTHER WANTS TO MAKE THE BEST CHOICE FOR HER BABY
 
It’s no secret that breastfeeding is the normal, healthy way to nourish and nurture your baby. Dedicated to supporting nursing and expectant mothers, the internationally respected La Leche League has set the standard for educating and empowering mothers in this natural art for generations. Now their classic bestselling guide has been retooled, refocused, and updated for today’s mothers and lifestyles. Working mothers, stay-at-home moms, single moms, and mothers of multiples will all benefit from the book’s range of nursing advice, stories, and information—from preparing for breastfeeding during pregnancy to feeding cues, from nursing positions to expressing and storing breast milk. With all-new photos and illustrations, this ultimate support bible offers
 
• real-mom wisdom on breastfeeding comfortably—from avoiding sore nipples to simply enjoying the amazing bonding experience
• new insights into old approaches toward latching and attaching, ages and stages, and answers to the most-asked questions
• strategies for moms who choose to breastfeed for a short time or who plan to nurse for a year or more 
• reassuring information on nursing after a C-section or delivery complications
• recent scientific data that highlight the many lifelong health benefits of breastfeeding
• helpful tips for building your support network—at home or when back at work
• nursing special-needs infants, premies, multiples, and how to thrive no matter what curveball life throws
• guidance on breast health issues, weight gain, day care, colic, postpartum depression, food allergies, and medications 
 
 
Mothers bringing babies into a new world want sustainable, healthy, positive ways to help their children blossom and thrive. There is no better beginning for your baby than the womanly art of breastfeeding.

From the Back Cover

"As your Surgeon General, as a pediatrician, and as a woman, I wholeheartedly endorse breastfeeding .... La Leche League's history of support to mothers is commendable and most valuable. Congratulations on your accomplishments!' -Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Surgeon General of the United States

This brand-new edition of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding commemorates the 35th anniversary of the founding of La Leche League" International, the world's foremost authority on breastfeeding. Revised to include the latest information and research on breastfeeding and to consider the needs of fathers and working mothers, this fully illustrated, total guide to infant and child care explains:

• How to establish a network of support during your pregnancy to assure a good start in breastfeeding
• How to make sure you have an ample milk supply
• Breastfeeding premature babies
• How to recognize and overcome common breastfeeding problems
• How to breastfeed even if you return to work How to express and store breast milk
• How and when to introduce solid foods
• Why breastfeeding gives your baby the best start

Chapters in Depth

PART ONE : PLANNING TO BREASTFEED

CHAPTER 1 – WHY CHOOSE BREASTFEEDING?

A Special Journey ; Best for Baby – Best for you; The Key to Good Mothering

CHAPTER 2 – PLANS ARE UNDERWAY

Plans for the Baby’s Birth; Health Professionals Who Care; Preparing to Breastfeed,; What to Wear – Nursing Fashions

CHAPTER 3 – YOUR NETWORK OF SUPPORT

La Leche League Meetings; Why Do You Need Support?; How to Find La Leche League

PART 2 : THE EARLY MONTHS

CHAPTER 4 – YOUR BABY ARRIVES

Baby’s First Feeding;  Breastfeeding Positions, Breastfeeding in Slow Motion,; Other breastfeeding Positions; Engorgement –When the Milk Comes In; How Long to Nurse?; Hospital Routines; Breastfeeding Products; Leaving the Hospital

CHAPTER 5 – AT HOME WITH YOUR BABY

Babies Are to Love; How Many Times Do I Feed The Baby?; Is Baby Getting Enough?; Caring For Your Baby; Taking Care of Mother; Going Out? – Take Baby Along

CHAPTER 6 – A TIME TO LEARN

Why Is My Baby Crying?; Babies Who Are Colicky; Growth Spurts; Nighttime Needs; Sharing Sleep; Babies, Bed & Sex

CHAPTER 7 – COMMON CONCERNS

Avoiding and Treating Sore Nipples; Moist Wound Healing; Sore Nipples in Later Months; Pumping and Storing Your Milk; Breast Problems: Sore Breast, Plugged Ducts, and Mastitis; Breast Lumps and Previous Breast Surgery; Is Your Baby Getting Enough Milk?; The Baby Who is Pleasingly Plump; Did you ever hear of a Nursing Strike?

PART 3 : GOING BACK TO WORK

CHAPTER 8 – BREASTFEEDING AND WORKING

Benefits of Breastfeeding; Proceed Slowly; Some Practical Hints; Feeding Tips for the Sitter; Establish a Routine; Who Will Take Care of the Baby?

CHAPTER 9 – MAKING A CHOICE

The Mother-Child Relationship; Take One Step At a Time; Choosing to Stay Home

PART 4 : LIFE AS A FAMILY

CHAPTER 10 – THE MANLY ART OF FATHERING

Fathers Get Involved; Fathers and Breastfeeding; What Can Father’s Do?; Husband and Wife – A Parenting Team

CHAPTER 11 – MEETING FAMILY NEEDS

Housework and  a New Baby; Time for the Other Little Ones; Developing A Parenting Style

CHAPTER 12 – NUTRITIONAL KNOW-HOW

The Basic Approach; How to eat Well; Special Hints for Nursing Mothers; Weight Loss and Exercise

PART 5 : AS YOUR BABY GROWS

CHAPTER 13 – READY FOR SOLIDS

Go Slowly At First; What Foods to Choose

CHAPTER 14 – WEANING GRADUALLY, WITH LOVE

More Than Milk; What If I Want to Wean My Baby?; Toddler Nursing; Pregnant and Nursing?; Tandem Nursing

CHAPTER 15 – DISCIPLINE IS LOVING GUIDANCE

Setting the Stage; Discipline and Punishment; Normal Toddler Traits; A Look Ahead

PART 6 : SPECIAL SITUATIONS

CHAPTER 16 – PROBLEMS AT THE BEGINNING

Breastfeeding after a Cesarean Birth; What If Your Baby is Jaundiced?; Hypoglycemia in Newborns; If Your Baby is Premature; A Baby with Special Needs; The Baby with Down Syndrome; A Baby with a Cleft Lip or Palate; Cystic Fibrosis and Metabolic Disorders; When a Baby Dies

CHAPTER 17 – WHEN EXTRA CARE IS NEEDED

Multiple Births – Multiple Blessings; Relactation and Induced Lactation; If your Baby Gets Sick; Slow Weight Gain; What if Mother is Ill?; Medications and Other Substances; Mothers with Special Problems

PART 7 : WHY BREAST IS BEST

CHAPTER 18 – HUMAN MILK FOR HUMAN BABIES

How your baby grows; Unique Milk for Unique Species; Human Milk : An Arsenal Against Illness; Nature’s Vaccine for the Newborn; Avoiding Allergies; More Reasons to Breastfeed

CHAPTER 19 – HOW BREASTFEEIDNG AFFECTS A MOTHER

How the Breast Gives Milk; Breastfeeding and Your Reproductive Cycle; Other Changes in your body; Benefits of Breastfeeding

PART 8 : MOTHERS HELPING MOTHERS

CHAPTER 20 – ABOUT LA LECHE LEAGUE

How It All Began; How LLL Can Help You; About This Book and Its Authors; La Leche League’s Influence; A Final Word From the Founders

LA LECHE LEAGUE, INTERNATIONAL was started thirty-five years ago when seven women, committed to breastfeeding at a time when most babies were bottle fed, met in a Chicago suburb to provide information and encouragement to breastfeeding mothers. With dedication and support, it has since grown into a worldwide organization with over 3000 La Leche League groups in forty-eight countries, as medical research has affirmed, over and over, that "breast is best." An essential guidebook with an abundance of parenting information this special 35th Anniversary Edition of a classic work will teach yet another generation of mothers the wholesome way to nurture a new life.