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"It's gross, sticky, smelly. It
caused me to bleed and experience terrifying pain," the
author tells visitors the weekend after giving birth to her
daughter. She's not talking about childbirth, but breastfeeding. Shapiro
shares important truths about the challenges and rewards of
a breastfeeding mother in this memoir of the year spent nursing
her first child.
This first book by an Emmy-award winning filmmaker
and self-proclaimed "benevolent know-it-all" promises
the reader important advice on becoming a first-time mom. Shapiro
keeps that promise with the wit of a comedian and the honesty
of a very-best girlfriend. Chapters cover childbirth,
the hospital stay, learning to breastfeed, parenting groups,
babysitters, and returning to work. "The story" concludes,
about a year after it begins, with the successful weaning of
Shapiro's daughter.
Most parenting books, particularly those dealing
with breastfeeding, adopt a serious, even medical, tone. Shapiro's
refreshingly comic voice pierces through the foggiest post-partum
blues to commiserate, share advice, and point out the humor
in those anxious days after a baby is born. The greatest
laughs come from reading about some of her most private moments,
like accidentally biting her two-day-old daughter, or glimpsing
herself in the mirror looking like "a character in a John
Waters film," complete with "grandma panties and
cabbage leaves sticking out of [her] bra."
In addition to being an undeniably entertaining
read, this book gives readers valuable advice and information
about the first year of parenthood. Important and possibly
unfamiliar terms like lactation consultant, engorgement panic,
and frantic eater, are clearly defined for the reader. As
the title might suggest, Shapiro pays particular attention
to the topic of breastfeeding. One chapter includes a
detailed description of the process of positioning a baby for
an optimal latch, information most women never learn without
coaching from a lactation consultant. Other important
tips include listening for the sound of swallowing as an indication
that feeding is happening, and a warm salt water treatment
for the relief of sore nipples.
Pregnant women contemplating breastfeeding
will find the information in this book invaluable and Shapiro's
account of her experiences motivating and inspiring. First-time
moms and any woman who has tried breastfeeding will enjoy commiserating
with Shapiro's ups and downs and undoubtedly pick up a useful
tip or two along the way. This entertaining and informative
guide deserves a place right alongside the "Girlfriend's
Guide" and "What to Expect" series on parenting
shelves.
-- Carolyn Bailey
(April 2004) |
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