First, as a disclaimer, my book choices may sound very strange to some of you, but keep in mind that my major in college was nutrition and also that I worked for WIC and counceled women on breastfeeding.
I read two books that were very similar and I just got done reading them. They are both by William Sears, MD and his wife Martha Sears, RN. The first is "The Family Nutrition Book" and "The Breastfeeding Book". When I was at WIC, I found that I had a passion for breastfeeding. The way it works, the benefits to mom and baby and the bond that it creates are truly amazing. This book goes over the basics of breastfeeding like benefits to mom/baby, correct latch on and positioning, problem shooting, weaning, baby wearing, etc. The other book I read was pretty self explanatory. Basically, Dr. Sears goes over the 3 main energy sources: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. He explains things in a way that anyone could understand. He goes over how these are digested in your body, good sources of each of these, and which systems in the body require them. He also goes over vitamins and minerals.
Dr. Sears puts a lot of focus on natural, hands on parenting. He believes first and foremost that good health begins with proper nutrition and an active and fulfilling lifestyle. I will definitely be reading both of these books again especially when Clint and I start a family. Dr. Sears also has many other books relating to children, babies, pregnancy, and high need babies.
I promise I am not pregnant! :)
Haha! Glad you put that disclaimer at the end. Those books sound interesting. How long does Dr. Sears say you should breastfeed? I know some organization in the U.S. says at least one year, but the World Health Organization says at least two years! I can't imagine breastfeeding a two-year-old, but I know that that's still perfectly normal in some parts of the world. I'm interested, too; I don't think you're weird. :)
ReplyDeleteDr. Sears, and most papers that I have read on the subject recommend at least 1 year. WHO recommends 2 years for a few reasons: in many countries, breastfeeding is the norm and many women choose to breastfeed until at least 1 year, in countries where food is a scarce commodity, women can continue to provide most of a child's caloric need for that much longer and also it will help delay a woman's period so there is better child spacing. Not to mention, breastfeeding will continue to help protect the child from disease. At WIC we had a poster that said "Breastfeeding, the natural immunization" or something like that. These are some of the reasons and obviously there is tons of research to help back up the WHO. I think in America, since we do have better resources, you don't hear that coming from our government. Thanks for not thinking I'm weird!
ReplyDeleteNursing my babies was one of the highlights of that stage in my life. I would love to counsel new moms about breastfeeding. Sometimes it isn't as natural or easy as one would think! Without a good support system, it could be easy to quit. My best experience was with #3--Matt when I decided I would nurse in public (completely concealed). With a 4-year old and 2-year old, it was just ridiculous to find a hidden spot to nurse the baby. Wish I had done that with the other two.
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