Bottle-feeding Without Guilt by Peggy Robin

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Stars: ****

I started out breastfeeding but had to be on a medication for which it would most likely not be safe for her and there was no alternative to help me. I reluctantly started formula and was feeling very guilty. I didn’t think poorly of other bottlefeeding mothers but felt horrible that I failed even though it wasn’t my fault.

This book picked up me up out of a rut and made me realize that I can be an awesome mom even if I can’t nurse. That feeding my daughter is more important than how she is fed. Peggy Robin shows the main arguments for why breast is best and even why formula is evil and counteracts them with FACTS which most breastfeeding books do not. She does deny the pros of breastfeeding, just that breast is not best for EVERYONE.

From Robin: Breast is not best when the mother is on certain medications, undergoing chemotherapy, has an insufficient milk supply (she cites newspaper articles of babies dying because their mothers were told that women always have enough milk and not to feed a bottle) or has AIDS. Some women who have had breast surgery cannot breastfeed. Men cannot breastfeed.

One problem with the book is that Robin says that adoptive mothers cannot breastfeed and that it is virtually impossible for mothers of twins to nurse. This is not true; however; only a small amount of adoptive mothers can make enough milk to feed their babies their milk exclusively. Most have to supplement with formula in bottles or with an SNS. Also, while some mothers can feed twins and even triplets at the breast, not every mother has the luxury of spending all day every day feeding babies.

Overall however, this book showed me that my daughter is not doomed just because I bottlefeed. I highly recommend it to anyone who is or has bottlefed, especially those who tried to breastfeed but couldn’t for whatever reason.

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About Kathleen

I've been a nonfiction lover for as long as I can remember. I love children's nonfiction as well and love to share my knowledge and the books I gained them from, with the world. I wish more people would give nonfiction a chance.