Review: Mama Knows Breast: A Beginner's Guide to Breastfeeding, by Andi Silverman

A few weeks ago, I received a free copy of Andi Silverman's new book Mama Knows Breast: A Beginner's Guide to Breastfeeding," to review. Now that I've done the review, I will be donating the book to my local La Leche League for our group library.

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The first thing I noticed about the book is that it is physically small, which means you can manage it with one hand, while holding a baby in the other.

(As illustrated on the cover, in fact.)

It's a minor detail, but I think that's a definite plus in a book designed for breastfeeding mothers!

This book has a lot of down-to-earth advice for new moms about getting started with breastfeeding, frequently asked questions (including some myth-busting), and common challenges, with several personal anecdotes added along the way, to make it entertaining, as well.

There were some areas in which I thought she could have done better, the most glaring of which was the ommission of La Leche League from the list of "who can help," especially given that the list includes a lot of categories of people (pediatrician, hospital nurse, relatives) who, in my opinion, are as likely as not to give you counterproductive, out of date or just plain bad advice.

That said, LLL is included in the appendix of resources that also lists several good books and websites.

Mama Knows Breast also goes beyond the basic "how to" of the very early days, and addresses other areas that become more of a concern to breastfeeding moms as the months (years) go on, including nursing in public, how your partner or spouse can help, taking care of yourself and nurturing your relationship with your partner, and weaning.

There are several places in which the book was rather mainstream for my tastes, but my tastes do tend to run a bit toward the fringe, so I suppose that's to be expected.

I would recommend it in conjunction with a more in-depth book, such as La Leche League's The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding or The Breastfeeding Book: Everything You Need to Know about Nursing Your Child from Birth Through Weaning by William & Martha Sears, for answering more specific or complex questions that might arise, but overall, I think Mama Knows Breast provides a good introduction to breastfeeding that will be very helpful to a new mom, without overwhelming her or scaring her off.