The best breastfeeding book for increasing milk supply

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If I could only choose one BEST breastfeeding book that every nursing mother should have, I would definitely choose this book: ‘a breastfeeding mother’s guide to making more milk’ by Diana West and Lisa Marasco.

This book is a very comprehensive and detailed guide for nursing mothers (or nursing mother to be) as a companion to their breastfeeding journey.

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My first impression

I could not stop reading! Seriously, this book is so darn good from beginning to the end, and has quite a systematic flow!

In the beginning, you’ll be given overview about milk production. Next is methods to judge whether or not you have issue with your milk supply.

I especially like that there is a specific section dedicated to what’s normal and not for breastfeeding, especially in the early days.

Having had two babies, I’ve been through days where I question my ability  to produce enough milk. Add in various conflicting suggestions from close relatives (which may not be true), postpartum hormone which made me much more sensitive in nature, and sleep-deprived state. What a complete package that can easily throw me into postpartum depression.

Thankfully, I have this book to refer to, and surrounded by supportive spouse and health care personnel, I was able to keep the depression away. Although, I would admit, I still had some baby blue moments.

 

Find the culprit, solve more efficiently 

Diana and Lisa will invite you to join them in searching the cause of your milk supply problem. They list one by one every possible cause of low milk supply, from the most common one until the most-rare case, which only about 1% of mothers encounter.

Then, for each possible cause, you will be given some solutions that you can do to cure your problem. 

Personally, I love that the authors taught us not to approach the milk supply problem blindly, doing as many things as possible to quickly improve our supply, because it is simply not effective.

For instance, when a mother realizes her supply is low, she immediately buy every milk-booster supplements she can think of. But, these supplements would never help if the underlying cause, say for example, the baby has poor latch, is not addressed.

Some of the solutions offered here is a natural one, whereas some more serious cases require medical interventions (e.g. baby’s tongue tie).

So, really, this book opens up my horizon of knowledge on what cause to look for when facing low milk supply.

 

It’s not always about supplements

Solving low milk supply issue is not a matter of taking a lot of supplements. It is FAR more than that. The issue might be fixed by changing breastfeeding technique, combining direct latch and pumping (I found some effective pumping techniques in this book which are quite impressive), and more.

When all the natural-approaches have been taken, and you see that your supply is still low, then maybe it’s time for taking galactogogue, or in layman term, milk-booster supplements. This can be natural herbs infused in your cooking, special tea, or in form of pills, just like a vitamin.

I love that this book explains clearly the pros and side effect (if any) of every galactogogue, as well as the recommended dosage. It even goes beyond by describing how the herb helps to boost the supply in a more specific way.

For instance, chaste berry may help in solving hormone imbalance (which is great for PCOS case), while goat’s rue is great in reinforcing mammary tissue growth (good for insufficient glandular tissue case).

Bear in mind that every nursing mother responds differently to various galactogogues. Some of them notice increase in supply almost immediately, some in a few weeks, while some don’t respond at all.

 

Supplementation, how to start and to end

Sometimes, it takes quite a while to solve your milk supply issue. And you don’t want to starve your baby while doing that. The number one rule is always to feed your baby, while you are working on building your milk supply. BUT, what is the best way to do supplementation and how to avoid over-feeding? This book explains clearly every steps you need to know, from measuring how much additional milk your baby needs and how to slowly wean off from supplementation.

 

Making the most of what you have … and accepting your condition 

Sometimes, no matter what you have done, you are still unable to achieve full milk supply. As a mother who is unable to exclusively breastfeed my first born, I can totally relate to this section because there were a lot of time I felt like a failure. I believe there are a lot of mothers grieving due to their inability to breastfeed, and they need a soothing and calming supports. This book does that job! It offers a different perspective on how to perceive a successful breastfeeding experience.

Breastfeeding is not all about the amount of milk that you are getting; it’s about the hard work and true love that you have dedicated to your precious baby.

 

Real and true, motivational stories

There are plenty true stories sprinkled throughout the book chapters. While I love to see more stories to be included, the current ones are really encouraging and true motivation-booster. Personally, I’m delighted to read that mothers with mammary growth issue was able to exclusively breastfeed their subsequent babies with effective treatment and strategies. This is really boosting up my spirit that, yes, I can breastfeed my baby!

 

Give your milk supply a great start

A lot of times, mothers realize that the have milk supply issue only after the journey has started. How to avoid this altogether? How to prepare this way ahead? There’s a special section in this book dedicated for this. What a perfect read for any nursing-mother-to-be, or any mother preparing for another breastfeeding journey.

Final conclusion

This is the best breastfeeding book dedicated to making more milk. I sincerely thought that every nursing mothers should own this book.

Just to let you know, this book was endorsed by close to 10 well-known lactation consultants and La Leche League leaders, including Kelly Bonyata (the owner of popular breastfeeding-resource website, www.kellymom.com). Read what they said about this book:

“a very comprehensive guide for every mothers…”,

“milk supply bible!”, 

“…. even a professional lactation consultant should have this!”

Having this book is like having a personal lactation consultant guiding you to solve your milk supply issue and making the most from your milk supply.

Want to make more milk? Get your super-comprehensive guide now!

 

This book is available in both hardcopy and Kindle edition. If you choose to buy the Kindle version, it means instantaneous download to your devices plus quick and easy access to your making more milk e-book everywhere. I have it downloaded to my cell-phone, iPad, and personal computer. It is super convenient, especially you are a busy mother who have limited time to flip through a paper-back book.

PS: If you live outside United States and want to have a paper-back version of this book, you can also purchase it from TheBookDepository. It offers FREE delivery worldwide.

I hope this book review is beneficial for you. Have you read any breastfeeding-related book? What is your favorite one? Let me know your opinion in comments.

PS: If you know any friends and relatives struggling with low milk supply issue, don’t forget to share this article to them. Thank you!