Lactivate!: A Judgment-Free Guide to Breastfeeding

I have read a few books now in regards to expecting/breastfeeding. This is by far my favorite for breastfeeding. It’s straight and to the point. It’s a easy read with tons of information. The best part is it is completely judgement free. They even give you different options to help you find something that suits you. As a first time mother to be, that is very important to me. Two of my friends had babies in the last year. They told me I had to read “A Parents Guide to Breastfeeding” by Amy Spangler, it was judgey but had so much good information in it. Well I read that book after reading Lactivate! and I wasn’t impressed with it at all. It didn’t offer any new information and on top of that you had to dealing with the judging. I also originally bought “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding” knowing the reviews said it was also very judgey. I just figured I’d get the information I can from it and ignore the judgey part. Since I got this book I just ended up returning it because I realized there are non judgey books out there. I can not recommend Lactivate! enough. I will definitely be keeping it on hand as a quick reference for when I need it. After reading this book all I could think is how this would be a great baby shower gift! I will be adding it into baby shower gifts from now on.

I have given this book to four different friends to date and bought two copies for myself (after I gave my first away). This is single handedly the most helpful resource for breastfeeding and pumping people out there! It’s super easy to use, breaks down information well, and covers most every topic or question I had. My best friend and I regularly will refer to it when the other has a breastfeeding question.

I am an IBCLC. Overall, I think this will be a helpful tool/resource to have in my back pocket. In many ways, it's most of what I'd have written in a book if I were to write a book (give or take a few sentences/comments). There's not a list of benefits of breastfeeding for mom/baby in the book, which is my main critique. There are some sprinkled throughout, but remembering all the benefits has kept me going on some rough days of my own BF journey, like when dealing with thrush, etc. It's fairly basic and straightforward. I appreciate that they refer for help when things start getting more complicated- I'm glad they didn't try to tackle too much in the book. I plan to have a few copies on hand (Amazon sale!) given my current season of life with lots of people I know having babies and just type up a list of benefits to stick in the front when I gift a copy! I appreciate that it’s not as guilt-inducing as some of the older BF resources.

This book is short, simple, sweet and to the point. It’s also well designed and laid out with lots of pictures and cool colors. If you’re wanting lots of info on breastfeeding, though, go with an additional or different book like Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding. This is more like a quick reference guide and doesn’t provide any new/additional information above and beyond what you’ve probably already learned about breastfeeding if you’ve some reading and/or watched YouTube videos.

This book was recommended to me, loved it so much I had to buy it for other expecting mamas. Very straightforward and easy to read.

Before reading this book, breastfeeding seemed like this huge, overwhelming, intimidating world that I didn’t understand. As a first-time expecting mom, all I ever heard was horror stories from other moms about how hard it is to breastfeed, how much pain they suffered through, etc. It was such a relief to find this book and have everything laid out in simple, easy-to-understand terms. It’s such an easy read and I finished it in only a few days during my third trimester. The writing comes across like a supportive big sister who has been there and understands the challenges but is still cheering you on! I’m encouraged and hopeful that my breastfeeding journey will be a bit more smooth thanks to this book, but I love that it will be easy to refer back to troubleshooting tips when we’ll inevitably hit bumps in the road. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this helpful, approachable resource! -Kate

I really liked this book. It was super easy to read, and I did learn some valuable information through this book. My baby is due in January and this I am hoping will be beneficial when she gets here and I will be able, if needed be able to reference the codes in the back of the book. The book provided in-depth information that was helpful as well as pictures to help give a visual image of what the authors were talking about.

This was a good book with good, quick information. It seemed like a great idea when I was pregnant and trying to prepare for my first child. Once I started breastfeeding and experienced some trouble I didn't find this book very helpful. The information was broad and concise, but I found when I was looking for answers I needed WAY more information. Save your time and $. If you are just starting your motherhood journey, and want to prepare, look for local lactation consultants. Most lactation consultants are covered by insurance or TLN and are so vital to learning about all of the different things that go on with breastfeeding.