Book Reviews

Yvette O’Dowd has been a passionate reader since childhood. Her first pregnancy in the early 1980s saw her consuming the local library collection of books about pregnancy, childbirth, child development and child care. Having ignited a life-long interest in these subjects, Yvette went on to work at Merrily Merrily Enterprises [the retail arm of the Nursing Mothers’ Association of Australia (now known as The Australian Breastfeeding Association)] from 1995 - 2000. This included the recommendation and sale of books on breastfeeding and human lactation, parenting and related titles to both parents and health professionals.

From 2008 - 2013, Yvette ran The Breastfeeding Centre In Dandenong, Victoria - the Victorian Branch Office of the Australian Breastfeeding Association. Here she curated and maintained an extensive library of books available to both members and volunteers. When establishing the Southern Natural Parenting Network in 2014, Yvette had a vision of a collection of books available to members and the wider community, establishing a community library on wheels available at meets and events. Yvette’ family are resigned to her extensive personal collection! (Thank goodness for the digital revolution!)

Yvette also has a passion for children’s books - particularly picture books - and her collection expanded as her family has. Books for children about babies are of particular interest. Stay tuned for review soon!

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Browse Yvette’s recommendations:

Tweens

Teens

Birth

Yvette ODowd 25/6/25 Yvette ODowd 25/6/25

Boobin' All Day Boobin' All Night: A Gentle Approach To Sleep For Breastfeeding Families

This book offers a gentle, breastfeeding-friendly approach to infant sleep, grounded in biological norms and real-life experiences. Lactation consultant Meg Nagle challenges the mainstream obsession with sleep training and embraces night-time parenting as an extension of the breastfeeding relationship.

Yvette ODowd 25/6/25 Yvette ODowd 25/6/25

You've Got It In You: A Positive Guide to Breastfeeding

This is a warm, reassuring, and refreshingly honest book that offers exactly what the title promises—a truly positive guide to breastfeeding. Written by experienced IBCLC Emma Pickett, You’ve Got It In You meets parents where they are, offering encouragement, practical advice, and emotional support without judgement. It’s ideal for anyone preparing to breastfeed or navigating those first challenging weeks, especially in a world that can feel full of conflicting advice.

Yvette ODowd 23/6/25 Yvette ODowd 23/6/25

Unbuttoned: Women Open Up About the Pleasures, Pains, and Politics of Breastfeeding

This collection of essays brings together a diverse group of women sharing deeply personal experiences of breastfeeding—raw, humorous, joyful, and painful. The book explores not just the act of feeding a baby, but the emotional, cultural, and political layers that surround it.

Yvette ODowd 23/6/25 Yvette ODowd 23/6/25

Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding

This powerful book explores the intersection of breastfeeding with commerce, politics, and global health. Naomi Baumslag sheds light on how corporate interests, policy decisions, and cultural narratives have shaped infant feeding norms across the world—with profound consequences for public health and maternal wellbeing.

Yvette ODowd 23/6/25 Yvette ODowd 23/6/25

Supporting Breastfeeding Past the First Six Months and Beyond

This thoughtful and comprehensive guide by IBCLC Emma Pickett fills a longstanding gap in breastfeeding resources. While most materials focus on the early weeks and months, this book explores the lived realities and developmental changes involved in breastfeeding older babies and toddlers. With compassion, nuance, and evidence-informed support, Pickett addresses everything from solids to nursing manners, from returning to work to night feeds, and from boundary setting to the emotional shifts in long-term feeding relationships.

Yvette ODowd 23/6/25 Yvette ODowd 23/6/25

Exclusively Pumping Breast Milk: A Guide to Providing Expressed Breast Milk for Your Baby

Exclusively Pumping Breast Milk is a practical, comprehensive guide by Stephanie Casemore, born of her firsthand experiences pumping breast milk for her premature infant and continuing through toddlerhood. In this second edition, Casemore—clearly noting she’s not a medical professional, but a well-informed mother—offers a compassionate roadmap for families choosing to feed via exclusively expressed breast milk. The book covers every stage: from starting pumping, choosing the right equipment, and overcoming common challenges like low supply or physical discomfort, to storing milk, navigating life with a pump, and eventually weaning. Special attention is given to parents with babies in NICU, offering targeted support for their unique situation .

Yvette ODowd 23/6/25 Yvette ODowd 23/6/25

Work. Pump. Repeat: The New Mom’s Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work

Work. Pump. Repeat is a candid and practical guide for parents navigating the challenges of expressing breast milk while returning to paid employment. Drawing on hundreds of real-life stories, author and working mother Jessica Shortall offers a refreshingly honest look at the realities of pumping at work—logistics, awkward encounters, emotional upheaval, and small triumphs. Rather than idealising breastfeeding, the book embraces the messy middle ground many parents occupy, and provides practical advice on everything from setting up a pumping routine to managing business travel with a breast pump in tow. It’s a rallying cry for working parents who are trying to do it all—and a reminder that they’re not alone.

Yvette ODowd 20/6/25 Yvette ODowd 20/6/25

Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood

Untangled is a comprehensive guide by clinical psychologist Lisa Damour, offering insights into the developmental journey of teenage girls. Drawing from decades of experience and research, Damour identifies seven distinct transitions that girls navigate on their path to adulthood. Each chapter delves into these transitions, providing real-life anecdotes, practical advice, and strategies to help parents support their daughters through the complexities of adolescence. The book emphasizes understanding, empathy, and open communication as tools for fostering strong parent-daughter relationships.

Yvette ODowd 19/6/25 Yvette ODowd 19/6/25

Beloved Burden: Baby Carriers in Different Countries

Beloved Burden is a beautifully illustrated and globally researched celebration of carrying infants—a richly layered tribute to how human cultures around the world honor this essential practice. Edited by Itie van Hout, the book gives readers a sweeping historical and cultural tour of slings, baskets, wraps, and improvised carriers, from Inuit amauti to Indonesian baskets and European shawls. With compelling photo essays and scholarly commentary, it highlights babywearing as a universal human tradition deeply wired into our biology and social fabric.

Yvette ODowd 19/6/25 Yvette ODowd 19/6/25

A Baby Wants to Be Carried

Originally published in German and translated into English, this book offers a scientific and anthropological exploration of why human babies are biologically adapted to being carried. Evelin Kirkilionis draws on evolutionary biology, developmental psychology, and cross-cultural research to argue that carrying is not a parenting “style,” but a human norm.

Yvette ODowd 19/6/25 Yvette ODowd 19/6/25

Babywearing: The Benefits and Beauty of This Ancient Tradition

This is one of the earliest modern books to really lay out the science and heart behind babywearing in a way that feels both grounded and reassuring. Written by Dr Maria Blois, a mother, pediatrician and sociologist, it weaves together research, cultural history, and personal stories to explain why carrying babies is not just practical — it’s biologically and emotionally important. The tone is calm, supportive, and thoughtful, with an emphasis on how babywearing benefits not just the baby, but the whole caregiving relationship. From soothing newborns to supporting development, the book gently explores the reasons this age-old practice continues to matter today.

Yvette ODowd 19/6/25 Yvette ODowd 19/6/25

Why Babywearing Matters

A foundational text on carrying babies, this book weaves together neuroscience, psychology, culture, and lived experience. Dr Rosie Knowles, a GP and passionate babywearing advocate, explains how carrying supports physical and emotional development, strengthens attachment, and fosters parental confidence — all while being practical and accessible.

Yvette ODowd 18/6/25 Yvette ODowd 18/6/25

How to Raise a Teen: A Guide for Parents of Thirteen to Twenty-One-Year-Olds

How to Raise a Teen is the final installment in Sarah Ockwell-Smith’s series of developmental parenting guides, following Between and The Starting School Book. This book offers a comprehensive, evidence-informed approach to parenting adolescents aged 13 to 21. Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and her own experience as a mother of four young adults, Ockwell-Smith addresses the emotional, social, and practical challenges of the teenage.

Yvette ODowd 18/6/25 Yvette ODowd 18/6/25

Between: A Guide for Parents of Eight to Thirteen-Year-Olds

Between is a comprehensive guide by parenting expert Sarah Ockwell-Smith, focusing on the transitional "tween" years—ages 8 to 13. Drawing upon biology, psychology, and sociology, the book offers practical advice to help parents navigate the complexities of this developmental stage. Topics include understanding mood swings, discussing puberty, managing screen time, fostering mental health, and guiding children through evolving social relationships. Ockwell-Smith emphasizes the importance of empathy and open communication, providing strategies to support both the child and the parent during this period of change.