SPRINGFIELD, Mass., March 17, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Because of breastfeeding's great health benefits, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for the first year of life, yet many women give up far earlier than this, many in the first few weeks. In her new book, Moms, Babies, and Breastfeeding: What Resilient Mothers Know About Making Breastfeeding Work (now available through 1stBooks.com), Claudia Rachel Johnsen, Ph.D., offers an unprecedented look at what keeps mothers going, despite overwhelming odds.
Many women experience difficulties while breastfeeding, such as pain, discouraging relatives, busy schedules and embarrassment, and in the face of such problems, many mothers give up. Through her original research, Dr. Johnsen examines the lives of women who overcame their breastfeeding problems to become empowered women and breastfeeding advocates.
Through the stories of 14 women who had far more breastfeeding difficulties than most women will ever experience, Dr. Johnsen reveals the four main themes that kept them going through these times and how other mothers can do the same. Health care providers, public health advocates and breastfeeding educators are sure to learn clear steps for helping women breastfeed longer.
"The breastfeeding experience really carries over to other areas of life," Dr. Johnsen says. "Women who overcome breastfeeding difficulties to do the best for their infants, really become stronger women in all areas of life - this is resilience. I hope that this book can be an inspiration to new mothers to make it through the difficult times so they can have the loving, nurturing relationships with their infants that they deserve. I hope that by sharing my own experience, and those of the mothers I interviewed for this book, other women can be empowered to find the support and advice they need to continue."
Dr. Claudia Johnsen is a pediatric nutritionist specializing in the first year of life. She is a Lactation Consultant and former Senior Nutritionist and Breastfeeding Coordinator for a Massachusetts Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program. In addition to her research, she drew from her counseling experience, passion for health advocacy and experience breastfeeding her daughter for this book.
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