The landmark book about breastfeeding and herbs and alternative methods of increasing milk production

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Product Description

Many women take St. John’s wort for post-partum depression, but is it safe for their nursing infants? Which herbs can a new mother take to increase or inhibit milk production? Are there natural remedies for mastitis or chronic yeast infections? This integrative guide answers these and other questions about the effects of herbs, dietary supplements, and other natural products on nursing women and their babies.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #119857 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781577491187
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
A comprehensive and thorough manual about breastfeeding in general and herbal remedies in particular. -- Andrew Weil, MD

About the Author
Sheila Humphrey is an RN and Lactation Consultant in a hospital-based practice, and is a La Leche League Leader. She lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Customer Reviews

Herbal Remedies & Excellent Advice on Breastfeeding
The main focus of "The Nursing Mother's Herbal" is Breastfeeding. Herbal remedies are also included.

Sheila Humphrey has included just about everything you would want to know about this subject. She has also included information on specific herbal remedies for various situations.

If you are trying to decide between breastfeeding and feeding your baby "formula" you will want to read the benefits and risks section in chapter one. There is also information on donated milk and other fascinating facts.

This book is divided into 11 main sections:

The Health Benefits of Breastfeeding & Health Risks of Baby Formulas

Successful Breastfeeding - Everything from finding a lactation specialist to organizing your day.

How Milk is Made and Why This Matters

Herbs and Herbal Products

Healthcare Options - A discussion about Western and Conventional Medicine.

Postpartum Recovery - What to eat and what to expect after delivery.

Solutions for Regulating Your Milk Supply - herbal help

Breast Problems

Common Illnesses and Health Problems

Common Signs to look for when Your Child is Ill

Weaning and the Return to Fertility

The Nursing Mother's Herbal is one of the books I'd recommend to every woman who is considering becoming a mother or who is already pregnant. This book gives you a wealth of information and I think it is one of the most interesting books I've ever read on breastfeeding and postpartum issues.

Sheila also encourages you to find the support you need. She gives excellent advice on how to deal with every aspect of breastfeeding and also focuses on the most intricate details of every positive and negative situation that could occur. There are recipes for various "galactogogue teas" to encourage a good milk supply. By reading this book you can also find out interesting things about why you should not use aloe vera gel and why you might want to use tea rinses or poultices made from herbs for their skin healing properties.

Other features include:

An extensive list of organizations and websites
A Plant Safety Table (they also include information on herbs that will help or decrease milk production)
Detailed Information about Herbs like fennel, fenugreek, hops and milk thistle.

"The Nursing Mother's Herbal" is simply fascinating and I can highly recommend it to mothers who are preparing for breastfeeding or who are considering their options.

~The Rebecca Review

Great resource for herbal remedies for breastfeeding mothers
Sheila Humphrey has writeen a book that incoroporates sound breastfeeding advice along with reliable herbal information. Breastfeeding mothers and their health care providers will find the Nursing Mother's Herbal to be easy to understand, reliable information. Humphrey is able to translate technical lactation management issues as well as botanical medicine into an easy to understand lay-woman's language. She speakss in a non-judgemental, objective approach to all traditions of health care management. Sheila successfully normalizes the Lactation Specialists role in the health care team. The Nursing Mother's Herbal provides excellent, sound breastfeeding information.
I found the Plant Safety section (Appendix C) at the back of the book to be an easy to use chart for practically every herb under the sun. The Plant Safety Appendix is an excellent resource for health care workers who need to know herbal safety for mother and baby. The table rates herbs according to their toxicity, interactions, contraindications and adverse effects. The Safety ratings range from "A" which is an herb that is relatively safe to "E" an herb that is highly toxic. The Plant Safety section is based upon evidenced based information obtained from scientifically sound resources.
The majority of the herbs and herbal products information clearly dispels common myths and misconceptions often associated with dietary and herbal supplement use for breastfeeding mothers. I have found Humphrey to be evidenced based in topics of plant safety, interactions, etc. Sections pertaining to suggested dosages fall back onto the time honored recipes that women and midwives have found to be effective over the millenia.
There is a nice section on choline, essential fatty acids, and food allergies. I would have liked more information on flax and lecithin and the health benefits they provide for breastfeeding mothers and infants. I found the directions to make herbal teas and infusions to be easy to understand and helpful for mothers. Humphrey also offers many practical holistic methods for breast milk production and breastfeeding management such as breast massage, breast compression and diet.
I found myself wishing there were more BOLDED sections for easier to find topics, herbs, etc. for easier referencing.
As an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant I encounter mothers on a daily basis who struggle with low milk supply and other breastfeeding problems such as sore nipples, thrush and mastitis. Many women seek home remedies that have been passed on from generation to generation. I find this book will help the lactation consultant and other health care professionals to obtain sound herbal information.
I think it will prove to be a "must read" book for all breastfeeding mothers and their health care providers who seek to know RELIABLE herbal information.

The book we've been waiting for
As a La Leche League Leader and Lactation Consultant, I have fielded many questions from nursing mothers regarding herbs over the last years. The biggest problem we've all faced is that there has been little to no information regarding herbs and breastfeeding, making it difficult for counselors to guide mothers in making decisions on what is best for them and their babies. This new book is a welcome light into a dark void.

"The Nursing Mother's Herbal" is written to be accessible to any mother with questions about breastfeeding and/or herbs. For the uninitiated, there is an excellent chapter explaining the historical use of herbs, the place of herbs in today's society, safety issues and preparation methods. Another chapter covers related "alternatives" such as homeopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Rather than go the easy route of just presenting her professional herb analysis, Sheila chose to give her book context and background in breastfeeding to ensure that readers would have good, current information on breastfeeding management before making the decision to add an herb for a particular situation. This is especially important given that herb use is often based on word-of-mouth advice passed between mothers and friends who may not have an accurate understanding of the big picture of a mother's situation and who may unwittingly be steering mom the wrong direction.

One of the book's most valuable features is a summary table in the appendix on plant safety. Sheila has carefully examined the research as well as anecdotal experience with a large list of herbs, then weighed it all together and rated each herb on a 5-letter scale. These ratings provide guides to which herbs are safest for self-use, which herbs are best considered only after professional evaluation, and which herbs perhaps should not be used at all.

In addition to the above table, another appendix is devoted to an in-depth analysis of the most well-known galactogogue herbs popular today. While there is already a chapter devoted soley to milk supply concerns, this compilation provides more details of resources, experience and anecdotes to guide both mothers and professionals in making appropriate, rather than blindly hopeful, choices for increasing milk supply.

I greatly appreciate the truly expert analysis of specific herbs for use during breastfeeding. It is obvious that Sheila is well-grounded in both the science and art of herbs, as well as medicine and lactation. As a result, she has a rare ability to see perceive, address, and bring balance to multiple issues that often arise in herb discussions, especially with health care providers. "The Nursing Mother's Herbal" is the book that we've all been waiting for.