The Nursing Couple
- Author:
Middlemore,
M.D. Hamish Hamilton, Ltd. Fp. iyx 7s. 6d.
This book is quite unique in its approach to the subject of breast feeding. The title shows first the emphasis that the author places on the mutual influence both partners in breast feeding exercise on one another, indeed she shows throughout the book that breast feeding, if successful, is always the result of a mutual adaptation of mother and babe to one another. Dr Middlemore examines in detail the causes of failure in this mutual adaptation and shows it to be due, in many instances, to the mother’s emotional reactions and consequent behaviour to the particular kind of suckling with which she is confronted.
The conclusions reached in this book are based on the author’s observations of the Nursing Couple in the early weeks of breast feeding, and the main body of the book is devoted to a description and classification of the different types of sucklings observed. Suggestions are also put forward as to the best ways of dealing with the difficulties that are encountered. The satisfied sucklings?active and sleepy?are first described and then the unsatisfied sucklings? excited, ineffective, simple inert, irritable inert. The influence and role of the nurse is described in another very interesting chapter.
The book is unique in a second way, in that the author has brought to bear on her observa- tions of breast feeding not only her medical experience but her psychological knowledge of unconscious impulses and motivation.
If Dr Middlemore emphasizes one thing above anything throughout this book, it is the right and necessity for both mother and babe to obtain enjoyment during breast feeding, an attitude which has been overlooked in much of the work done on this subject, to the detriment of both mother and babe when precept has been put into practice.
Although the book is primarily a scientific study of suckling, and as such is of most interest to doctors and nurses, yet it is so full of indirect advice to mothers, that few thinking mothers would not be relieved to have such light thrown on the oft thorny path of breast feeding.
The wealth of detailed and interesting observa- tions ahd conclusions that Dr Middlemore has brought to light in this book were only made possible by patient work over a long period on this subject which enthralled her.
There is an introduction to the book by Dr Edward Glover and a foreword by Ella Sharpe and Joan Mallinson who were entrusted by the author with the manuscript of the book.
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