Top 5 Books on Breastfeeding

While there are a variety of people that can aid with breastfeeding or give you advice, there will always be differing opinions on what way is best, and some of those opinions may clash with your personal belief on what you know is best for yourself. After all, mama knows best. 

Additionally, you may get that urge in pregnancy to prepare for your baby - often referred to as nesting. While nesting can emerge in the form of buying new clothes, toys, or painting the new nursery, it may also come in the form of preparing yourself as a mother. 

When that yearn to step into ‘mom mode’ hits, one of the best ways you can achieve that mode is by educating yourself. Whether that is reading articles, watching videos, or learning from the experts, all forms of education on the topic will eventually lead to informed decision making on your behalf. 

In this blog, I would like to share five of the breastfeeding books that I have read or listened to myself and consider beneficial to new mothers. This is by no means all the breastfeeding books out there, nor that I have personally read or listened to, but these are some of my favorites.

When reading a book, new and expectant mothers have the comfort of reading a few pages or a chapter whenever is the best time for them. Perhaps that is late at night after a day of work and prenatal appointments or perhaps that is in the middle of the day when your baby has just fallen asleep for her nap. 

All of these books are my unsponsored opinion. Breastfeeding books come in a variety of topics and are conveyed with a wealth of knowledge by different experts. Take what suits you. No book is perfect for every person and likewise your perfect book may be outside of the norm. 

Disclaimer Unlike other blogs of mine - and given that I am not profiting off this post currently, as well as my recommendations being overwhelmingly positive - I will use the google images of the actual books. This is so that you may easily recognize and find the books when you go to purchase them. 

Without further ado, and in no particular order, I present the Top Five Books on Breastfeeding:

The Art of Breastfeeding by Diana Wiessinger, Diana West, and Teresa Pitman

This book really stands out to me because of the sacredness it portrays in breastfeeding and the ability it has to connect breastfeeding to an art. It is the core book of the famous organization La Leche League International. Formerly titled The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, it is a book that allows mothers to feel that something they can do is powerful. I believe it honors the sacred feminine and embodies all that it is to be someone capable of breastfeeding, rather than shun it. 

Not all women choose to have children or breastfeed, and while that is perfectly acceptable, this book allows the women that do choose to do so to feel confident in themselves and their unique capability. This book was first written in 1958 and many editions have been created since then. This book is also available as an audiobook!

Pocket Guide for Lactation Management by Karin Cadwell and Cindy Turner-Maffei

This book is very dear to me as it is the book I received when I first became a lactation counselor. The copy I have is a small book with smallish print (hence ‘pocket’ in the title), yet is nonetheless informative. It does offer images in many pages and I believe it is comprehensible. While this book is primarily aimed at lactation counselors and people that help others with breastfeeding, it is also perfect for the mother or soon to be mother that wants straight-to-the-point information and to have a wide variety of questions answered. 

The topics in this book thoroughly go over difficulties with the breast and struggles with infant feeding in a manner that makes you feel confident to handle these situations should they occur. It follows a similar format of sections for each difficulty, including a description, unique identifier, questions to ask yourself, solutions, and the expected resolution.

Work. Pump. Repeat. by Jessica Shortall

I fully enjoyed this book for its unique perspective and the topics it covers. This book is perfect for the working mother or the mother that needs to pump continuously outside of the home. It covers the practicality of the country we live in (assuming the United States) and the reality of going back to work after your birth. Whether that is when your child is a few days old without the option of maternity leave or your job has offered you six months of maternity leave, it is inevitable if you are a working woman that you will eventually have to go back. 

When we often think of breastfeeding, we think of the baby being directly at the breast for every meal. That may be impractical and perhaps your baby could only be directly at your breast outside of working hours or not at all. Something I take pride in is being a lactation counselor rather than solely a breastfeeding counselor. The benefit of human milk does not stop with the endorphins of skin-to-skin, but continues on to the particular antibodies that mothers can create for their specific child. 

Pumping is a great way to achieve those benefits for your child. This book mentions workplace regulations and laws to protect you as well as storage and pumping itself. Once again, this book is available in audiobook format.

Latch by Robin Kaplan and Abby Theuring

This is another book I listened to as an audiobook, although physical copies are available as well. This is a short book (166 pages and 3 hours 41 minutes as an audiobook) and perfect if you want an easy read or your life is very busy at the moment. Despite its short length, it is not a book that I will easily forget. Kaplan and Theuring do an amazing job at instilling confidence into you as a mother while covering some of the most important topics to help you feel prepared and reassured. 

Its attention to the lifestyle changes of breastfeeding are one to be admired. Breastfeeding is not just for newborns, but infants that are a few months old, infants transitioning from breast to solid food, and comfort measures for toddlers. Latch thinks of the mother who is in a transition period with breastfeeding - whether that is a temporary nursing strike or weaning. Breastfeeding is full of changes and new experiences, just as life itself. 

Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin

Ina May Gaskin displays an abundance of education in her books. As a midwife, she is not only aware of the craft of breastfeeding, yet of birth as well. I believe it would be valuable to read this book in conjunction with her other books; Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and Spiritual Midwifery. I have read these three books of hers, and there is something soothing about deep-diving into a single person’s perspective. Ina May Gaskin has published many more books of which I hope to read in the future!

The reason this was my fifth choice book on this list among so many other possible options is not only for the hardiness of her content (352 pages and 11 hours and 27 minutes of listening time as an audiobook), yet because she is known for her natural and old-age notion of breastfeeding and childbirth. When a mother ties breastfeeding with human nature, her confidence to do so and the ability to feel as though she is in the right place may come to her more easily. 

Ina May Gaskin also discusses the physiological benefits of breastfeeding and has the bandwidth in the book to cover topics not usually covered in many breastfeeding books, such as medications and nursing multiples, in addition to common questions and answers.

Conclusion and Other Notable Mentions

While the books listed above would be my top five choices, some other notable mentions include: 

• Jack Newman’s Guide to Breastfeeding by Jack Newman

• Breastfeeding Made Simple by Nancy Mohrbacher and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett

• Baby-Led Weaning by Gill Rapley and Tracy Murkett

• Lactivate! by Jill Krause

Furthermore, I have many more breastfeeding books in my future ‘read pile’. Some books with interesting titles that I would like to mention include: 

• Human Milk in the NICU: Policy into Practice by Lois D. W. Arnold

• Why Politics of Breastfeeding Matter by Gabrielle Palmer 

• Breastfeeding Doesn’t Have to Suck! by Mindy Cockeram 

• Why Breastfeeding Grief and Trauma Matter by Amy Brown

• Skimmed: Breastfeeding, Race, and Injustice by Andrea Freeman

All in all, each breastfeeding book targets a different audience of mothers and women. Try not to let anyone tell you which book is the ‘best’ because your perfect book(s) is up to you. Take advice from one, multiple, or none. These books are a guide and serve as a piece of education. Take comfort in knowing there are options out there and find which book gives you the knowledge and confidence you are looking for.

Resources

Resources

“New Edition of Our Core Book Coming in 2024! – La Leche League International.” Llli.org, 25 Aug. 2022, llli.org/news/art-of-breastfeeding-news/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

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