The Art of Breastfeeding is a book designed to inform you, help you get started, and offer support when breastfeeding turns difficult. It comes from La Leche League, an association built around informing and supporting nursing mothers.
La Leche League is affiliated with La Leche League International, an NGO in consultative status with UNICEF that works with the World Health Organization and is present in more than 70 countries. Founded in 1979, the French branch counts hundreds of local groups, and its volunteer leaders are available across the country to inform and support mothers who want to breastfeed.
What makes this book stand out is that it gathers the experience of mothers within the movement and illustrates the ten principles of the La Leche League philosophy. It is practical, warm, and refreshingly honest about the hard parts.
Quick takeaways
- Written by La Leche League, an association present in over 70 countries and founded in France in 1979
- Explains the ten principles of the League's breastfeeding philosophy
- Covers preparation, first feeds, positions, engorgement, mastitis, thrush and expressing milk
- Addresses real life: hospital stay, co-sleeping, baby blues, colic, nights, sexuality and contraception
- Includes care for premature babies and slow weight gain
- Reminds readers that it complements, never replaces, medical advice
What the La Leche League philosophy actually says
The ten principles summarised in the book form the backbone of the whole approach. They state that mothering through breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way to understand and meet a baby's needs, and that mother and baby need to be together early and often to build satisfying attachment and adequate milk production.
During the first years, the baby has an intense need for the mother's presence, as fundamental as the need for food. Human milk is the food nature intended, responding in a unique way to changing needs. For a full-term, healthy baby, breast milk is the only food necessary until the baby shows signs of needing solids, generally around the middle of the first year. Ideally the nursing relationship continues until the baby no longer needs it.
Several principles concern the people around the mother. Conscious, active participation during birth supports a good start, and the father's affectionate support and presence strengthen both breastfeeding and the mother-child bond. Good nutrition means a varied, balanced diet with food as close as possible to its natural state, and children need to be guided with love from early on, which means understanding their abilities and sensitivity.
Every practical question, answered
The book covers the questions parents, and especially mothers, actually ask. Why choose to breastfeed, how to prepare before birth, and what birth plan gives the best chance of a successful start. It walks through the first feed, illustrated nursing positions, and how to handle engorgement and common difficulties such as thrush, sore nipples, mastitis, illness in the baby or in the mother. It also explains why and how to express milk, how to increase milk supply, and when, how and why to wean. Because it draws on the experience of volunteer leaders, it stays practical rather than theoretical. If you are still deciding how you will feed your baby, it helps to know newborn essentials before you build a registry, and once your baby is mobile you may find yourself reading baby climbing at the same time as a breastfeeding chapter. As your baby grows, you may also want to read about solid food readiness, and understanding vaginal tears can help you prepare for recovery after birth.
| Stage | Topics covered | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Before birth | Why breastfeed, preparation, birth plan | Lets you decide with full information |
| First days | First feed, positions, hospital stay | Reduces panic in the first 48 hours |
| Common problems | Engorgement, sore nipples, mastitis, thrush | Gives concrete responses instead of guesswork |
| Everyday life | Nights, crying, colic, going out, co-sleeping | Normalises what nobody warns you about |
| Special situations | Prematurity, slow weight gain, illness | Offers reassurance and direction |
The everyday realities nobody warns you about
Beyond the technical side, the book addresses birth, the hospital stay, going out with a baby, co-sleeping and night feeding, baby blues, crying, colic, sexuality and contraception. It discusses caring for a premature baby and what to do when a baby gains weight slowly. It also covers the dummy or pacifier question, which many parents wrestle with in the early weeks.
Many paragraphs are devoted to taking care of yourself as a new mother, including advice so that visits from family and friends after the birth become a help rather than a burden. That framing matters: rest and support are not luxuries but part of how breastfeeding works. Parents who want to understand the emotional side of this period often pair it with reading about parental love and about happy childhood, since the early months set a tone for everything that follows.
An openly committed book, with limits
The book is openly committed and refers to numerous scientific studies in favour of breastfeeding. It is a valuable support for mothers who have chosen to breastfeed and doubt themselves, who want serious information before the birth, or who run into difficulties once the baby is home. Its aim is to inform so that people can make informed choices and regain confidence in themselves, their intuition and their decisions.
That said, the authors remind readers that the information is offered to help parents make informed choices and does not replace a doctor's advice or treatment. Read it as a companion, not a substitute for medical care. If you are preparing your postpartum setup, it is worth sorting out practical details like children undershirts and everyday clothing in advance so that feeding is one less thing to think about. Families planning natural Europe trips can apply the same forward planning to feeding on the move.
Who will get the most from it
This is a book for expectant mothers who want to decide with full information, for partners who want to understand what support looks like, and for anyone already nursing through a rough patch. It is complete and hands-on because it rests on the experience of the mothers, leaders and volunteers who joined the movement, and it treats difficult breastfeeding as something to be solved with help rather than endured in silence.
If you are expecting, it fits naturally alongside other preparation reading, from birth and body topics to thinking about choosing preschool later on. If your baby has already arrived, keep it within reach for the nights when something unexpected happens, and remember that local support exists.
My hands-on take
I wish I had read this book during my pregnancy. It would have helped me live a longer, more fulfilling breastfeeding experience with my daughter, who was born premature. I insisted on nursing her throughout our stay in the neonatal unit, even though her father and the staff kept pushing me to express milk and give it by bottle or spoon.
I held my ground in the hospital, but coming home was complicated, and breastfeeding lasted only three months before formula bottles completed it. There are many things I would do differently if I gave birth again, and this book would be part of my essential reading, alongside works on physiological birth. What I take from it now is simpler: ask for help early, protect your rest, and let the people around you actually support you instead of just visiting.
Frequently asked questions
Is this book only for mothers who already breastfeed?
No. It is written for anyone who wants information before deciding, as well as for mothers already nursing. Partners and family members can read it too to understand how to help.
Does it replace medical advice?
No. The authors state clearly that the information helps parents make informed choices but does not replace a doctor's advice or treatment. See a professional for any medical concern.
Does it cover difficult breastfeeding?
Yes, extensively. Sore nipples, engorgement, mastitis, thrush, slow weight gain and illness are all addressed, with testimonies from mothers who went through them.
Where can I find it?
It is available in libraries, bookshops and online retailers.
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