Evidence-based Care for Breastfeeding Mothers - Midwife Resource

In this review of Evidence-based Care for Breastfeeding Mothers readers will find a focused, practical textbook aimed at clinicians and students supporting infant feeding. The book is written to align with current practice standards and its single biggest reason to buy is clear: it consolidates the essential knowledge and skills needed to promote and support breastfeeding across a new clinician's training. The tone is clinical and accessible, making it useful as a classroom companion and a quick-reference guide for practice when caring for breastfeeding dyads.

Key Features

• Aligned with standards: Draws on the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative Best Practice Standards to ensure coverage of validated learning outcomes.
• Comprehensive outcomes: Addresses all 18 learning outcomes so students acquire a broad, evidence-based foundation in breastfeeding care.
• Practical focus: Emphasises the knowledge and skills midwives and allied healthcare professionals need to support mothers throughout infancy.
• Public health context: Frames breastfeeding as a major public health issue and explains benefits for infants and mothers in accessible language.
• Evidence-based content: Uses research findings to explain how breastfeeding reduces infection risk, lowers obesity risk and offers maternal health benefits later in life.

Who It's For

This book is best suited to midwifery students, health visitors, neonatal nurses and allied healthcare professionals who require an evidence-based, standards-aligned textbook to guide clinical practice and education. It works well as required reading on courses that adopt the UNICEF UK BFI Best Practice Standards.

Practising clinicians who need a compact, outcome-focused refresher will also find it useful, though clinicians seeking detailed lactation physiology or advanced lactation management protocols may prefer a dedicated lactation textbook for in-depth procedural guidance.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clear alignment with recognised best practice standards supports consistent training and assessment.
• Evidence-based explanations of infant and maternal benefits help clinicians communicate public health rationale to families.
• Practical emphasis on the skills needed by midwives and health visitors makes the book applicable to day-to-day care.

Cons

• Not a comprehensive clinical manual for complex lactation problems, so specialist texts are still required for advanced cases.

Specifications

Title	Evidence-based Care for Breastfeeding Mothers
Author / Brand	Maria Pollard
Audience	Midwives, health visitors, allied healthcare professionals, students
Scope	Aligned to UNICEF UK BFI Best Practice Standards; covers 18 outcomes
Focus	Evidence-based promotion and support of breastfeeding
Public health emphasis	Benefits to infants and long-term maternal health

Our Verdict

Evidence-based Care for Breastfeeding Mothers is a concise, standards-aligned textbook that delivers practical, research-backed guidance for clinicians in training and early-career practitioners. It is good value for those needing a classroom-ready resource that links public health rationale with day-to-day breastfeeding support, though teams managing complex lactation challenges should supplement it with specialist lactation references.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book follow a recognised standard?
Yes. The content is based on the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative Best Practice Standards for Higher Education Institutions.

Who is the intended reader?
Primary readers are midwifery students, health visitors and allied healthcare professionals involved in infant feeding support.

Will it teach advanced lactation procedures?
The book focuses on essential knowledge and skills; advanced procedural details are limited and specialist lactation texts are recommended for complex cases.