Breastfeeding Naturally by Hannah Lothrop
Breastfeeding Naturally: A New Approach for Today's Mother by Hannah Lothrop
ISBN: 1-5561-131-1
* I cannot recommend this book enough.
* I have had severe, prolonged engorgement issues for all three of my babies, as well as painful let-down, sore nipples, plugged ducts, spraying milk, and mastitis.
* I have checked out over 3 dozen books on breastfeeding from several library systems.
* This is the only book that I have read that deals fairly with herbalism and makes homeopathic recommendations. I have been very turned off by the ignorant, conventional comments that other books make about herbalism and homeopathy.
CORRECTION: Oops. I'm looking at it now and it does NOT have good herbal information. I can't find a decent list of herbs that do and do not promote milk flow. And, now that I am using it, I am remembering that it has a horrible index! It does deal well with homeopathy and aromatherapy... the psychology is good, but not as complete as I'd like. It has a list of Bach Flower Remedies to help with various nursing issues. That's nice... if you are comfortable dosing yourself and can figure out your metaphysical issues relating to BFing.
* This book combined with the advice on one of the popular breastfeeding websites (is it called kellymom.com ? ... it is listed on the sticky.) is the only book a mom could need. Adding some of the advice from that website to this book would improve it, but it still outshines all other breastfeeding books that I have seen.
*
One thing that I have yet to see in a book or on a website are positive affirmations for breastfeeding. Louise L. Hay's _Heal Your Body_ has only two for general breast problems, and these can be adapted. I am very surprised that no one has put together affirmations and forgivenesses around specific breastfeeding issues both to prepare mama's before birth and to troubleshoot breastfeeding problems. This is the second most urgent area of breastfeeding that needs to be addressed.
* Two other issues that need to be addressed in books that I haven't seen done fairly, without fear, and holistically:
(1) the unjust problem of toxic chemicals in breastmilk and the critical role of even contaminated breastmilk in mitigating babies' other toxic exposures [This is the most urgent area of breastfeeding that needs to be addressed in BFing books, and if anyone is revising such a book, I am the expert that you should consult to edit the final text for you!] AND
(2)
a description of the problem of babies' sensitivities or allergies to consituents in breastmilk. Some experts say that breastmik is perfect; some acknowledge that a baby could have farting or colic or other health issues if, for example, the baby is sensitive to wheat and the mother is eating wheat.. but they confine the problem to the major eight allergens (wheat, corn, soy, dairy, etc.)... Other people say that a baby can be sensitive to anything in the mother's diet. ... and, I would like to see this diet issue treated holistically. In my own case, my first child was sensitive to wheat in my diet and her colic cleared as soon as I stopped eating it. My second child was colicky due to a sensitivity to peppermint, and I was drinking peppermint tea (and "Mother's Milk" Tea because I assumed that it was "safe." For all my children, I consulted health professionals who used applied kinesiology to "muscle-test" them to find out what the allergy/sensitivity was. Yet, I have never seen this extremely practical tool [muscle-testing/MT] referred to in a BFing book. So easy and so cheap: every lactation consultant and MW should learn to MT.
Cheers,
Caitlin who has a newborn baby boy!!!!!!!
LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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