Sweet Sleep by La Leche League International
by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, Linda Smith, and Teresa Pitman
Review:
A great sleep resource for new parents to help you understand biologically normal sleep and prepare for safe sleep no matter what you choose for sleep arrangements. We love how this book outlines a clear mechanism for safe co-sleeping and holds space for various family contexts. The book is really informative and views both parents and babies as competent. We are grateful for the informative approach to considering sleep in conjunction with the breastfeeding relationship.
Key Points:
- The majority of nursing mothers do sleep with their babies at some point.
- It is not normal for babies to sleep deeply for long periods.
- SIDS is not the same as breathing obstruction and parents need knowledge about preventing both.
Challenges:
- Quite long and repetitive.
- There's some fierce frustration in the author's tone and word choice which sometimes detracts from the evidence which is very strong.
- While the writing works hard to hold space for many contexts ultimately the focus is on mother's and breastfeeding. There is not inclusive gender terminology and the author has an underlying view of formula feeding as bad. Though they try to be inclusive, it is clear that the author's priority is individuals breastfeeding for as long as possible.