Books, Organizations,
and Resources on Breastfeeding
and Childbirth
On this page, you'll
find many links for books,
organizations, and other sources of information on breastfeeding and "mother and baby
friendly" maternity care.
Books,
Organizations, and Resources on Breastfeeding
Books
Breastfeeding:
A Guide for the Medical Profession by Ruth A. Lawrence, Robert M.
Lawrence 5th edition (December 1998) Mosby-Year Book
Medications and
Mothers' Milk by Thomas W. Hale, Ph.D.
9th edition (2000)
Pharmasoft Medical Publishing
Impact of
Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding: Protecting the Mother and Baby
Continuum by Mary Kroeger
with Linda J. Smith. 2004.
Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Organizations
Baby-Friendly USA
The non-profit organization that implements the U.S. UNICEF Baby-Friendly
Hospital Initiative within the United States. If you've heard of "The
Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding," or that a hospital is
"Baby-Friendly" but you weren't sure what that meant, this site will answer
all your questions. It is also the place to come for information on
what is required for an institution to become baby-friendly.
The Center for Infant and Young Child Feeding. Founded in January of 2006 with
Dr. Miriam Labbok as the first Center Professor and Director, The Center is
engaged in research, service
evaluation, policy development and training to enable every woman to choose
and succeed in optimal infant feeding. Click
here to read Dr. Labbok's blog.
HMBANA (Human Milk Banking Association of North
America)
A professional membership association of milk banks in
North America. This site is the place for everything you need to know
about milk banking and donor milk.
The
International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA). The
professional association for International Board Certified Lactation
Consultants (IBCLCs) and other health care professionals working with
breastfeeding families.
La Leche League International.
An
internationally recognized authority on breastfeeding with
over 3000 groups in more than 60 countries. Meetings are free to
members and non-members alike and you don't have to wait until your baby is
born to go.
The United
States Breastfeeding Committee. A collaborative
partnership of organizations (including governmental, non-governmental, and
health professional associations) with a mission "improve the nation's
health by working collaboratively to protect, promote and support
breastfeeding.
Books,
Organizations, and Resources on Childbirth
To normalize
breastfeeding, we must first normalize childbirth; that is, to create a
breastfeeding culture, we need to create a culture that respects women’s
ability to actively give birth; that replaces an emphasis on fear with an
emphasis on empowerment; and that bases common childbirth practices on
evidence-based outcomes. Here are a few organizations and books with these
goals:
Books
●Baby
Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife,
by Peggy Vincent. Scribner. 2002.
www.babycatcher.net
●Ina
May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin. Bantam Books. 2003.
Immaculate Deception II: Myth, Magic, and Birth, by Suzanne Arms.
Celestial Arts. 1994.
http://www.birthingthefuture.com/
●The
Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth,
by Henci Goer. Perigee. 1999.
www.hencigoer.com
●Gentle
Birth Choices
by
Barbara Harper. 2005.
●Sleeping
with Your Baby: A Parent’s guide to Cosleeping,
by James J. McKenna, Ph.D.
Organizations
CIMS: Coalition for Improving Maternity Services:
A coalition of individuals and national organizations that promotes an
evidence-based, wellness model of maternity care. Its mission is to promote
normal birth, improve birth outcomes and reduce costs:
CIMS:
Having a Baby? 10 Questions to ask
An excellent guide of what to look for and ask about in order to obtain
"mother-friendly" care during your birth.
CIMS
Fact Sheet:
The Risks of Cesarean Delivery to Mother and Baby.
Another excellent resource from the Coalition for
Improving Maternity Services. What you don't know can hurt
you...
ICAN: International Cesarean Awareness Network:
An international, non-profit member organization that works to help lower
the rate of unnecessary c-sections and to encourage positive birthing
experiences through education and advocacy:
ICAN (International Ceasarean Awareness
Network): Your Right to Refuse: What to do if your hospital has “banned” VBAC:
Childbirth
Connection (formerly the Maternity Center Association):
A
long-term national program to promote evidence-based maternity care. Provides
access to information from scientific studies, professional guidelines,
government reports, and more, including tools for pregnant women to use in
choosing a care giver, a birth setting, labor support, etc. Their goal is to
help and encourage women to make informed birthing decisions. Be sure to
read the report from their long awaited national survey
Listening
to Mothers II.
Lamaze International: Lamaze
promotes, supports and protects normal birth through education and advocacy.
If you still think of it as the “hee-hee-hoo” organization that tells women how
to breathe during labor, visit their website to see how much they’ve changed.
Citizens for Midwifery:
A national consumer-based group that promotes the Midwifery Model of Care.
Site also contains state by state legal information on the status of direct
entry midwifery; a grassroots E-mail list, many links and more.
Articles and Fact Sheets
National Center for Health Statistics -
Preliminary Births for 2004: Infant and Maternal Health:
A report from the CDC's
National Center for Health Statistics summarizing selected 2004 preliminary
maternal and infant health birth data for the U.S. Look at Table 1 and
Figure 1.
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