Supporting Sucking Skills in Breastfeeding Infants: .

There are few books that are so important in the bookshelf of an IBCLC or La Leche League Leader these days! For those of us who believe that Breastfeeding should be considered a Normal Developmental Milestone at birth, this book helps us identify what we are seeing and lead mothers to the right specialists. Many of us find problems that need referrals, but the mothers do not have easy access to the right specialists. With access to the pictures and descriptions we can guide them to starting to deal with special difficulties - and also give the mother insight into the reason to continue pursuing the help she and her baby needs. It is unfortunate that mothers often are told "he'll grow out of it". This is not said when a baby misses other milestones!

If you are breastfeeding professional, this book is a must! Catherine Watson Genna is just full of amazing knowledge. Out of the dozens of breastfeeding reference books I own, this is by far the most useful!

Not very engaging read but needed for my exam

Very helpful for teaching lactation

This is a great book, such a wonderful resource for those with breastfeeding problems based on infant sucking skills. It really helped me finally understand why my infant daughter was unable to breastfeed efficiently, and what tools and exercises were available to try to improve her efficiency. My only regret is not having access to its info earlier (I only came across this book about 4 months into our struggles). I also wish it had been read by all the providers I met with (including lactation consultants, a speech-language therapist, and an occupational therapist), which I think would have helped us to work on her problems sooner and more effectively. Among other topics, it has great resources for navigating tongue-ties, and clearly describes best supplementing options for supporting breastfeeding (from finger-feeding with a curved-tip syringe or special feeder, to descriptions of best bottle-feeding techniques). It is a rather dense read, so best aimed at those who enjoy research and are eager to delve deep into ways to address infant sucking problems. I think one of the most encouraging passages helps reassure mothers that their “obsession” with breastfeeding should not be scorned and dismissed as maternal over-anxiety, but rather treated with respect: “Parents will need extra support regarding the simple normalcy of breastfeeding—they are not following some maternal agenda for a feeding style, but they simply want their baby to achieve normal developmental milestones. Framing breastfeeding as being simply normal is critical. Parents need information and support to understand that their baby is not being asked to work toward something very challenging (like marathon running), but simply to achieve the norm (like walking).”