Book Recommendations (Breastfeeding, Newborns, Etc.)

THe one book that helped me out a lot during that first month after my daughter was born was "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg. It talks about what KIND of baby you have-- I had no idea since my daughter was 4 weeks old-- but her advice is straight-forward and down-to-earth and helped me survive those first six weeks. The Dr. Sears' Breastfeeding book is helpful, but read it with a grain of salt because he is a big proponent of family beds and no bottles for the first three months. I PORED over the Sears breastfeeding book, so it was a relief to read Tracy Hogg's ideas on the matter, which is more like advice from a friendly and helpful relative than Dr. Sears' stern point of view. Also, when i was feeling overwhelmed by motherhood after the new baby euphoria wore off about 2 weeks after my daughter was born, I read "The Girlfriend's Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood" and it made me laugh and feel so relieved! Good luck!

H. - There are three books I would recommend to you that I founf useful and insightful - Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is very good (the author's name - a doctor (Weisbluth?), escapes me right now), The Baby Whisperer is kind of a "light" read, but I thought it had a good message that parents need to respect their new babies as individual people, not as toys or little animals that you drag around with you - you see so many parents nowadays who are so disengaged with their children, dragging them around, yelling, and not really communicating, telling, not explaining, that I think if you start from the beginning with "The Baby Whisperer" attitude, that it builds over time and by the time your child really views himself as a separate being (from you), you are well on your way to a great relationship. The third book is by Penelope Leach (Your Developing Child up to age 5, or something like that), who has great insight into both parent and child behavior and how the child may view parent actions (or inactions), how they develop, etc. I just thought the book was excellent in terms of explaining the big picture and helping parents understand why their babies and toddlers do what they do. You are way ahead of where I was with my first child - great job becoming informed before the big day. Good luck! L. W

Hi H.,

Another good one is "Caring For Your Baby and Young Child" It covers everything from birth to age 5. It is from The American Academy of Pediatrics, Steven P.Shelov, M.D. (Editor in Chief) and Robert E. Hannemann, M.D. (Assoc. Medical Editor).

Though I must say, I read loads of books while pregnant with my son (who is now 3) and the very best insight I got was from my own instincts. I know that might sound strange to you now, but just you wait! If I knew something was wrong sickness-wise, I called his pediatricians 24/7 line no matter what.
About Breastfeeding: I breast fed my son until he was almost 2. He latched on right away and I didn't have any problems whatsoever. But some babies take time to figure it out. The hospital can help you a great deal with this! So much will come to you naturally as a new mom. Don't be afraid of any of it! And don't let people think you are over-reacting. Ever! Good luck, and Congratulations! You will be a great mom :)

C.
Single mommy of a 3 year old angel :)

Hi H.,

Congratulations! What a fun and exciting time in your life.

I would recommend the book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Womanly-Art-Breastfeeding-Seventh-I...

I rented it from the library. I would also recommend attending a La Leche League meeting while you're still pregnant. That way, if you have any problems you'll have contacts already made. The best thing about the La Leche League is the advice is free! Here's the link: http://www.lalecheleague.org/leaderinfo.html

Since you're pregnant, I'll also mention a great book I found, "Birthing from Within" - http://www.amazon.com/Birthing-Within-Extra-Ordinary-Chil...

Best wishes,
J.

Hi H. T. I don't have any books to suggest but when you give birth to the baby the nurses will be able to provide you with a lot of references. I do suggest however to rent a pump from the hospital for the best supply of milk. I live in Oakland county and they have a free program where a nurse will come out every month to make sure your breastfeeding is going well and to assist you in any way possible. She will also weigh the baby and make sure the baby is growing. The hospital should have a breastfeeding specialist who should be able to provide you with any info you need regarding breastfeeding. I hope this helps.

The best book was "What to exspect when exspecting" it had everything! Breastfeeding,cramps u have,nausiation help. All of that. Pregnancy bible!

I can recommedn the Healthy sleep, Happy child book. It is the bible on babies and children and sleep. If you start early and teach your baby to sleep - their life will be better and your will be too. I started teaching my duaghter to fall asleep in her bed at 4 weeks. Now at 15 months she is agreat sleeper taht tells me when she is tired. It is the best baby book that I have read.

The complete book of breastfeeding was pretty good. I also got the la leche book on breast feeding... but the la leche book was not as good.

I really used "the womanly art of breastfeeding" put out by LaLeche League (LLL). Also the "Super Baby Food" Book (www.superbabyfood.com)by Ruth Yaron.

One thing to remember w/ breastfeeding.. in the first couple days when your milk comes in and you get engorged it can be painful... you CAN use a nipple shield for this pain even if you don't have flat or inverted nipples. I also recommend having lanilon on hand before baby comes so it's one less thing hubby needs to run out for! If you get through the first few days of your milk coming in, it really is a wonderful and rewarding experience.

Congrats on your baby... it really is so wonderful. I'm a 1st time mom to a 4 1/2 month old boy and I just turned 29. :)

H., "So That's What They're For" is an awesome book that helped me out tremendously when I was breastfeeding my son. You should see the book now...it looks like it's been through the ringer. It's very informative and instructional, and believe me, you need all the help you can get when you're trying to learn the art of breastfeeding (I am even going to read it again before my daughter is born this July!). I would also suggest reading it before your baby is born, then you can flip through at a moments notice when you're desparate! Good luck! T.