2007-11-06 Useful but a bit too bossy

I have found this book very useful in getting to grips with breastfeeding my daughter. The explanations of the benefits of breastfeeding are clear, and it dispels a lot of the 'myths' surrounding the topic. Like other reviewers, I've found the photographs and explanations really useful in learning to position my baby to feed - much more so than the other books I've looked at. The book is really clearly laid out, easy to read and very accessible.

However, the tone of the book is a bit too preachy at times. The authors insist that all problems are down to positioning and that you will only get sore/ cracked nipples if your positioning is wrong, and that if you get a sore or cracked nipple, sorting the positioning will remove the pain of feeding within a couple of feeds. They tell you that resting the breast will not help, and that nipple cream will not help.

In my experience, this is not true, and I fear that such hardline advice may be counterproductive. I can well imagine a new mother getting a cracked nipple, as I did, reading that her positioning was at fault, as I did, looking at the pictures and being unable to see what she was doing wrong and wondering why it still hurt despite her baby feeding as per the instructions, as I did. She may very well conclude that she simply can't get breastfeeding right, especially if she's suffering from baby blues and lack of sleep, and decide to give up and put her baby onto formula.

Fortunately, my local breastfeeding counsellor reassured me that sore and cracked nipples can happen despite correct positioning, especially if a baby is ready for milk before the milk comes in. She advised me to apply a lanolin cream and not feed from the cracked nipple for a while, and express milk in the meantime. The nipple had healed within 24 hours, my milk supply was unaffected, and my baby adequately fed - all things the book told me simply would not happen if I rested the nipple and applied lanolin!

In summary, I'd say that I would recommend this book to someone who wanted to breastfeed, but tell them to look at the pictures and advice on positioning, but to take some of the other advice with a pinch of salt.