So That's What They're For!: The Definitive Breastfeeding Guide 3rd edition

by Janet Tamaro-Natt and Janet Tamaro

Book Overview

The Critics Love So That's What They're For "A practical, light-hearted, and humorous look at breastfeeding...that's full of factual information and down-to-earth answers to the universal questions... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159337285X
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Adams Media
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 0.9" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Easy to Read

When my friend handed this book down to me I thought "A whole book on breastfeeding? How much can there possibly be to learn? And how will I ever make it through the whole book?" Well, there is a lot to learn but this book made it enjoyable. It is an easy read and offers great advice on breastfeeding and dealing with a newborn in general. I breezed through this book and before I knew it I had a wealth of knowledge in the breastfeeding department. My stance on breastfeeding before I read this book was "Well, I'll try it, but if I'm not able to do it I won't be devastated." Now I know that most women "can" breastfeed if they want and only about 5% of the population have serious enough problems that they actually cannot physically continue breastfeeding. It has made my decision a much more definite one which I believe you will need in order to get through those first few weeks of breastfeeding. Don't be scared of this book! It's great and you will get through it in a breeze.

The Best

3 Kids and 5 breastfeeding books later... I wish I had this one the first time around. Finally a book that tells it like it is. I did'nt want to go to medical school, I just wanted to feed my kids, this book gives you the facts the way a good friend would give them to you, with out feeling like you are reading a medical journal. I credit this book with being able to succesfully breastfeed my last 2. Don't waste your money like I did just buy this one first.

This helped me succeed where I'd failed before ...

I am one of those working mothers facing a highly anti-breastfeeding boss and environment following my first pregnancy. I lived several hours from my nearest female relative and was loathe to ask strangers for advice. I didn't know that what just seemed like an awkward starting phase in the first days and weeks of breastfeeding my daughter, was really the beginning of the end to our breastfeeding relationship. I didn't know anything was really wrong, and if I had, I wouldn't have known how to fix it. So, I bought this book during my second pregnancy. I'd since moved even further from my close female relatives but really wanted to make breastfeeding work this time around. I remember all-too-vividly my daughter crying from hunger after I'd nursed her inadequately, the cost of formula, the stains and odors which accompanied formula-feeding. I wanted to breastfeed my son, and get it right. (I want to interject here that I'm not forcing my decision on anyone else. I'm not some sort of militant wacko with an agenda of breastfeeding for everyone, everywhere. I nursed my song for 12-1/2 months at which point we were both ready to give it up.) Anyway, this book made a HUGE difference. I learned what the difference was between discomfort and pain. I learned what a good "latch-on" was supposed to be like. I learned that other women had to work to make breastfeeding successful, too. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in breastfeeding her baby. If you're not interested in breastfeeding, you shouldn't be reading this book. It will teach you how to breastfeed successfully. But, make the decision first, then get advice on how to do it well.

Humorous, Non-Threatening, Absolutely Excellent!!

I bought this book five years ago when I was pregnant with my first child. I did not want to breastfeed. I didn't know a single soul who had breastfed. I thought breastfeeding was pretty weird and gross and had already told my husband I was going to bottlefeed. After I read a lot of information on the benefits of breastfeeding in several different magazines and pregnancy/childbirth books, I decided I better look into it a little more. I bought this book simply because I liked the title, and I have been SO extremely grateful ever since. This book is very non-threatening and completely NOT militant! I'm surprised by the reviews I see here saying otherwise - the author was so laid back and respectful, that it actually allowed me to open my mind to the possibility of breastfeeding. If she had been some kind of militant breastfeeding person, I never would have read more than the first few pages - however, I found a funny, sincere author who tried to fairly present breastfeeding [both the advantages and the (often humorous) disadvantages]. I thought she was brilliant. This book is a very "basic" breastfeeding book. It doesn't have all the level of detail of some other books [like "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by La Leche League - a book that has EVERYTHING you'd ever need to know, but is definitely [obviously!] biased towards breastfeeding]. I think this book is a great basic guide for new mothers and a WONDERFUL place to start if you are just considering breastfeeding or trying to make that decision. Incidentally, I did end up nursing my first child successfully, mainly due to this book. My original goal was to breastfeed for 3 months, but it went so well that I ended up nursing her for a whole year! I also used this book when I got pregnant with my second child and nursed him for a year too. Now I am re-reading it while pregnant with my third baby and I am STILL enjoying it! This is money well spent in my opinion!

A must-have for pregnant and nursing mothers!!

This is, by far, the funniest, most clever book on breastfeeding I have ever read! Mothers have been inundated with cliches about the "joy of nursing" -- but this book takes a lighthearted look at the nursing relationship, along with providing concise, informative, accurate advice on breastfeeding. Baby books and "manuals" are fine for practical advice on fevers, toys, baths, etc. -- but few offer accurate or thorough information on breastfeeding. I would give this book to any woman who plans to nurse her baby. "So that's what they're for" also addresses attachment parenting (with regards to nighttime nursing and family bed), an approach to parenting that is often regarded, by its critics, as "spoiling" children. However, the author's casual, "follow-your-instincts" attitude is a welcome change from the rigid, preachy methods and systems of popular baby books. Breastfeeding is taken way too seriously in this country: this book is the ultimate answer to that problem! Kudos and thank you, Ms. Tamaro!!!