Amazon Description:
Mother's Milk examines why nursing a baby is an
ideologically charged experience in contemporary culture. Drawing
upon medical studies, feminist scholarship, anthropological
literature, and an intimate knowledge of breastfeeding itself,
Bernice Hausman demonstrates what is at stake in mothers' infant
feeding choices--economically, socially, and in terms of women's
rights. Breastfeeding controversies, she argues, reveal social
tensions around the meaning of women's bodies, the authority of
science, and the value of maternity in American culture. A
provocative and multi-faceted work, Mother's Milk will be of
interest to anyone concerned with the politics of women's
embodiment.
Amazon Review:
What's in a breast? That depends on who's asking, says
Marilyn Yalom, author of this scholarly, illustrated
treatise on the breast in Western society. "Babies see food.
Men see sex. Doctors see disease. Businesspeople see dollar
signs." Breasts have been denounced as wanton, or idealized
as givers of power or life in images of Egyptian goddess
Isis nursing pharoahs; sturdy, maternal Mother Russia; or
the more eroticized, bare-breasted symbol of republican
ideals in France. Psychologists, religious leaders,
advertisers, and pornographers have rhapsodized over,
vilified, and used breasts to sell everything from war to
Cadillacs. And, finally, women have seen in them pleasure,
power, sustenance, fear, or failure to measure up.
Editorial Review: "The
latest book by pediatrics professor Baumslag and science
writer Michels is not intended as a "how-to" manual but
rather as an analysis of the medical, historical, social,
economic, and political issues surrounding breastfeeding. It
includes a lengthy discussion of aggressive marketing
tactics by infant formula manufacturers and the
international efforts taken to counteract these techniques.
Strongly in favor of breastfeeding under virtually any
circumstances, the authors convincingly illustrate its
medical and economic benefits to mothers, infants, and the
general population."
--Tina Neville, Univ. of South Florida at St.
Petersburg Lib.
Amazon Review:
The health benefits of breast milk for infants are almost
universally acknowledged--but how realistic is it for all
working women to nurse? What about those mothers who have a
hard time making the transition between viewing their
breasts as erogenous zones and seeing them as baby's buffet?
There is even controversy about what exactly constitutes
breast-feeding: are sucklings weaned at six weeks or infants
fed breast-pumped milk through a bottle truly "breast"
babies? Blum's analysis of such issues is respectful of the
social and psychological imperatives that inform a woman's
decision on whether or not to breast-feed.
Amazon Description:
Fully explores the political, economic, and social
implications of bottle feeding versus breastfeeding. One
customer review stated "I didn't understand
breastfeeding advocacy until I read this book. Gabrielle
Palmer covers all the bases on why we need to protect future
generations from the mass marketing of infant formula, and
how those products have become so prevalent throughout our
society and the world."
Amazon
Description:
Examines the intersection of medical science, social
theory, and cultural practices as they shaped relations among wet
nurses, physicians, and families from the colonial period through
the twentieth century. Janet Golden's study contributes to our
understanding of the cultural authority of medical science, the role
of physicians in shaping child rearing practices, the social
construction of motherhood, and the profound dilemmas of class and
culture that played out in the private space of the nursery.
Amazon
Description:
On the whole, the debates surrounding the issues of
breast-feeding - often reflecting ethnographic and ill-informed
medical and demographic approaches - have failed to treat the deeper
issues. The significance of breast-feeding reaches far beyond its
biological function; in fact, the authors of this volume argue,
there is nothing `natural' about breast-feeding itself. On the
contrary, attitudes and practices are socially determined, and
breast-feeding has to be seen as an essential element in the
cultural construction of sexuality. The highly original focus
of this volume throws new light on gender and on social
relationships in general.
"I really enjoyed how in depth the training manuals are. I
feel that I learned so much more than I could have ever
absorbed in a weekend workshop. I often re-read sections to
refresh my memory. I had been told the training through CBI
was very detailed, but I was a little worried that it
wouldn't be enough. I have been very pleased with the
experience and recommend the program to others.
I also love that I could go at my own pace, which is
invaluable with having three little kiddos myself. This was
one of the biggest reasons why I chose CBI." - Melissa,
Ohio
