Winner of the ACNM (American College of Nurse-Midwives Book of the Year Award 2003!

Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding: Protecting the Mother and Baby Continuum is Mary Kroeger’s examination of the spectacular bond between the human mother and her newborn from the perspective of labor, birth, and breastfeeding.   With 25 years of experience as a nurse, midwife, and international maternal and child health consultant, Kroeger addresses the failure of both western and developing country breastfeeding promoters and supporters to link the impact of certain childbirth interventions on the readiness of mother or newborn to breastfeed.

Kroeger’s comprehensive text is enhanced by the expertise of contributor Linda J. Smith, IBCLC.  As a lactation consultant for 25 years, Smith makes a significant new contribution to the science of lactation management in the chapter on “Physics and Forces” as she looks more closely at the mechanics of labor, labor interventions, and how these affect mother and newborn.

Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding is an essential resource written for all who work with mothers and newborns.  It spans both developed and developing country settings and thus is also written for global policy setters with the goal of keeping childbirth as natural as possible, ensuring that both mother and newborn are ready to optimally breastfeed.