Kathleen Huggins

Breastfeeding can be an intimidating venture for the first-time mother. I have heard all the warnings from more experienced moms who have had varying levels of success in their breastfeeding attempts: the first week/month is hellishly painful, I leaked milk constantly, I had too much/not enough milk, I tried really hard but I just couldn't do it, etc. While these are true experiences, they aren't the whole story. I knew I wanted to breastfeed my son (due to arrive in a little over two show more months), but I was a little worried after hearing the struggles and early weanings that seem so frequent. That's why Kathleen Huggins' The Nursing Mother's Companion has been so helpful.

Breastfeeding is natural but not entirely instinctive. Just reading that was a huge encouragement, because it seems like something we should just be able to do. After all, don't our bodies already know how to develop and birth our babies without too much direction from us? But breastfeeding is different because it is a learned skill. Some may learn it more easily than others for whatever reason, but it's okay to be bad at it at first.

Of course a book like this is very partisan toward breastfeeding, and Huggins makes a compelling case early on for why you should strongly consider breastfeeding your child rather than defaulting to formula. The immunity benefits to the child are enormous, and formula just doesn't compare nutritionally either. Breastfed babies are less prone to ear infections, obesity, and all kinds of other childhood maladies, including colic. And there are benefits to the mother, too: besides the obvious cost savings, mothers who breastfeed tend to reach their pre-pregnancy weight faster.

Huggins is also a proponent of cosleeping. I haven't been planning to cosleep, but her approach did not make me feel defensive about not being on board with that ideology.

In general this book relieved the sense of discouragement I felt at the complexities of breastfeeding and all the time, energy, and commitment it takes. It has given me extra motivation to breastfeed and practical help for the problems that may arise. The only chapter that left me feeling a bit overwhelmed was the one on continuing breastfeeding after returning to work. I'll be returning on a part-time basis so it should be a little easier, but the dedication to pump frequently and regularly is going to be a discipline I will have to learn. Not the book's fault... at several points Huggins acknowledges that it's normal to have mixed feelings about the "intense relationship" of nursing your child.

Another thing I appreciated about this book was that it did not show an excessive number of pictures. I have another breastfeeding book that not only has a completely exposed mother on the cover, but also on the spine — ! I had to help her to some modesty with duct tape. I don't mean to be prudish, but I know what I look like and I don't need a ton of pictures of what other women look like. Just the helpful diagrams and occasional tasteful photograph are perfectly sufficient, thanks. Yes, I know breastfeeding is not sexual but there's no need to plaster breasts all over everything.

Speaking of sexuality in the context of breastfeeding, Huggins does touch on the topic of mothers who have been sexually abused and how they may experience varying feelings about breastfeeding. Her advice may be helpful to women who have that baggage in their past and find it affecting their thoughts and emotions about breastfeeding.

I also appreciated how Huggins does not pressure moms to breastfeed without covering in public. There is quite a vehement minority out there that likes to push that philosophy on breastfeeding moms, saying that covering yourself while feeding your child is like saying you're ashamed of it. No, it is not. It is respect for myself and consideration for others that will motivate my practice of covering up completely or removing myself from public view while breastfeeding our son.

Huggins also talks about breastfeeding the older child, mentioning its benefits but not pushing it too hard. It is a personal decision when to wean and there isn't a right or wrong answer.

If I had any doubts that breastfeeding was the way to go, this book has laid them to rest. I am sure I'll be revisiting it often once our son is here. Recommended. show less

This is the best book on infant nutrition I've read yet... not that I've looked into that many, but it answered a lot of questions I'd had about how to best manage the transition from breastfeeding to solid foods.

The authors are strongly biased towards longer-term breastfeeding whenever possible, which might bother some people, but it was helpful to me because that means they actually deal with the issues of older nurslings, which is what I have. Most advice on weaning amounts to: "Oh, just show more drop a feed every week/few days and replace it with a meal or formula." That doesn't work so well with a vocal, single-minded toddler who knows what she wants!

I also really enjoyed the first chapter which includes an overview of the history of breastfeeding and its substitutes in "the West." It's a wonder anyone in Europe or North America survived infancy in the last few centuries! I would highly recommend this book to anyone breastfeeding, regardless of how long they plan to continue it. show less

Not sure if it's really any help at this point so no rating. She covers everything and I mean everything. To the point where I was slightly appalled at the end when she suggested that breastfeeding until 4-years-old, through another pregnancy, was doable. I'd prefer not, thank you very much.

I appreciated her devotion to the topic-- and I understand it. But, as I read about feeding through illness after illness, I got tired. I'm sure that ONE bottle during a bout of the stomach flu or show more whatever wouldn't kill the baby.

Also, the way the book is set up makes it rather repetitive. So be warned. I don't think it was meant to be read straight through, but jumped around from section to section depending on your concerns. show less

The only book that I could find covering the variety of options on how to wean a child from breastfeeding. Not only does it include a variety of ages, cultures, and methods, it takes a non-judgemental voice about a mother's personal decision on how and when she feels she should wean. The authors even discuss how to handle criticisms from family, friends, etc. Additionally, mothers' personal anecdotes and interviews about the feelings, choices and process of weaning provide the reader with show more additional depth and a feeling that she's not alone in trying to figure out the best thing for her and her child. The only drawback is that the book is so inclusive that there may be only sections that are pertinent to the reader. It is well organized though so it is not hard to find appropriate sections. show less