As a Lactation Consultant, I frequently hear mothers complain that there seem to be so many rules with breastfeeding and they felt that since it was such a natural thing to do, that there would be little, if any rules. Having rules also meant that there was the potential to either succeed or fail at this “breastfeeding thing.” The last thing I wanted to do was to begin telling mothers that there are seven laws to breastfeeding, whether they be “natural” or not!
The author states ” After generations of bottlefeeding, we are now relearning what women use to know about nursing their babies. If you never had the opportunity to notice women breastfeed while you were growing up, learning these natural laws is a must. In a world of conflicting information, you can use them to distinguish good breastfeeding advise from bad.”
Sometimes books make learning about human milk so technical. I love the easy to understand explanation of the importance of colostrum and its relationship to normal digestive health, which is on page 6.
Mothers who have breastfeeding challenges are frequently asking “why I am having such a problem when this is suppose to be so natural. A lovely discussion about mother and baby’s hardwiring is on page 15. This helps to explain the bridge between natural motherly instinct and why breastfeeding often needs to be a learned skill for modern women.
I want to highlight Chapter 3 – Latch-On: The Heart of Successful Breastfeeding, is definitely the most important chapter in this book. A good comfortable latch is the foundation of breastfeeding and the information given is accurate and timely. The book continues giving excellent information on newborn breastfeeding all the way through toddlerhood and weaning information. Breastfeeding Made Simple gives mothers the tools they need in order to learn how to properly breastfeed. The authors also understand that sometimes a book might not be enough for a mother who is struggling. They highly recommend the help of an expert lactation consultant in cases where breastfeeding is painful, babies are hard to latch, mothers milk production is low or babies are not gaining well. Human milk for human babies is a clear running theme throughout the book as well as the importance of learning the 7 natural laws which will help you and your baby have a happy, healthy start.
Here are the 7 “laws”
Law 1. Babies are hardwired to breastfeed. YES, exactly – babies were born to breastfeed!
Law 2. Mother’s body is baby’s natural habitat. YES exactly – babies need to be close to mom.
Law 3. Better Feel and Flow happen in the comfort zone. YES exactly – comfortable feedings.
Law 4. More breastfeeding at first means more milk later. YES exactly – my mantra to moms.
Law 5. Every Breastfeeding couple has its own rhythm. YES exactly – no carbon copies here.
Law 6. More Milk out equals more milk made. YES exactly – the perfect system
Law 7. Children Wean Naturally. YES exactly – in their own due time if left on their own.
I hope I have interested you enough to make the time to listen to her interview.
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