Table of Contents

Introduction xiii

Part I The Basics of Baby-Led Breastfeeding

1 Thinking about Breastfeeding 3

Is Breast Really Best? 3

Why Doesn't Everyone Breastfeed? 8

Will I be Able to Breastfeed? 9

How do I Prepare? 11

What to Buy-Or not 14

2 How Milk Production Works 19

What your Breasts Look Like Inside 19

Getting your Breasts to Make Milk 20

Production on Demand-How it Works 23

How Breast Milk Changes to Meet your Baby's Needs 25

Your Baby Knows What She Needs 28

3 How to Breastfeed 30

The Secret of Pain-Free Feeding-Attachment 30

Working with your Baby-"Latching on" 34

How Should I Hold my Baby for Feeding? 39

Is my Baby Feeding Effectively? 48

Take your Time-and Trust your Baby 50

Part II What Happens with Baby-Led Breastfeeding

4 When your Baby Is Born 53

Why Skin-To-Skin Contact is so Important 53

Your Baby's First Breastfeeding 55

Giving your Baby's Instincts a Chance 56

What If Things Are Complicated? 59

The First Forty-Eight Hours 64

5 The First Two Weeks 68

Having a Babymoon 68

Putting In the Order for Milk 70

Understanding Your Baby 74

Your Breasts in the First Two Weeks 78

Gas and Bringing Up Milk 81

Newborn Jaundice-What's Normal and What Isn't 84

Learning to Hand Express your Breast Milk 86

From now on It Gets Easier 89

6 Knowing It's Working 91

Knowing What to Look for 91

Watching and Listening to your Baby Feed 93

If It Hurts, It's Not Right 97

What you can see by your Baby's Pee (and Why her Poop is Worth a Snoop) 99

Your Baby's Behavior Can Tell You a Lot 102

What to Expect with Your Baby's Weight 107

What If It's Not Working? 108

7 Settling in to Breastfeeding 111

Getting Breastfeeding "Established" 111

Why Routines Don't Work 112

Your Baby's Changing Patterns 113

Feeding at Night 116

Breastfeeding When You're Out and About 121

Getting Support from others 124

What to Expect as Your Baby Gets Older 126

If your Baby Goes on Strike 129

8 Lifestyle and Breastfeeding 133

What to Eat When you're Breastfeeding 133

Can I Go On a Diet? 139

Is It Okay to Exercise? 140

What If I Smoke? 140

Your Sex Life 141

9 When Your Can't Be with Your Baby 145

How can I Provide Milk for My Baby While We Are Apart? 145

Putting In an Advance Order for Expressed Milk 147

How to Express Your Milk 151

How to Store Breast Milk 154

Should I Introduce a Bottle? 156

What If I Decide to Use Formula? 158

What If My Baby Refuses to Be Fed? 160

How Do I Manage Going Back to Work? 161

10 Six Months and Beyond 165

Starting Solid Foods the Baby-Led Way 166

Breastfeeding as your Child Grows Older 174

Breastfeeding During Pregnancy and Beyond 178

Ending Breastfeeding-Who Decides? 182

Part III Less Common Situations

11 Premature Babies and Multiples 191

Breastfeeding When your Baby is Born Early 191

Breastfeeding Twins (or More) 204

12 Your Milk Supply 209

How Milk-Production is Determined 209

Most Mothers Can Make Plenty of Milk 210

Could I be Making Too Much Milk? 219

Starting Breastfeeding When you Haven't Just Given Birth 223

If you Need (or Want) to Stop Breastfeeding Early 230

13 When Breastfeeding Hurts 234

Is It the Milk Let-Down? 234

Sore Nipples-Why They Happen and What to Do 235

Engorgement-Why It Happens and What to Do 243

Blocked Ducts-Why they Happen and What to Do 245

Mastitis-Why It Happens and What to Do 247

Breast Abscess-A Rare Complication 251

Stopping Feeding from One Breast, If You Need To 252

14 Breastfeeding and Illness 255

Breast Milk is the Best Food if your Baby is Ill 255

Can I Keep Breastfeeding If I'm Ill? 261

15 Conditions That Make Breastfeeding Difficult 267

Helping Your Baby Get Milk Easily 267

Breastfeeding If Your Baby Has a Cleft Lip/Palate 268

Breastfeeding If Your Baby Has Low Muscle Tone or Heart or Breathing Problems 271

Conclusion 273

Quick Reference

Baby-Led Breastfeeding-In a Nutshell 276

Baby-Led Breastfeeding: What to Expect When 279

Painful Breastfeeding: Quick Symptom Checker 284

Sources of Information and Support 288

Acknowledgments 294

Photo Credits 295

Index 296

About the Authors 305