As printed in the Spring 2007 Issue of the Journal of Perinatal Education - Lamaze International

VIDEO OFFERS EXTENSIVE BREASTFEEDING INFORMATION
Breastfeeding Comprehensive
Executive producer: Stephanie Scholz Neurohr(2006)
Format VHS or DVD (130 minutes)
Where to order: Mother of 7, Inc., PO Box 7749, Dallas, TX 75209 (www.motherof7.com or call 1-877-790-2229)

As the title indicates, Breastfeeding Comprehensive is a wide-ranging educational video on breastfeeding. The target audience could be expectant parents or health professionals such as lactation educators, doulas, or childbirth educators. Breastfeeding Comprehensive presents an updated chapter format that allows the video to be viewed in sections or in its entirety. The chapter format lends itself for use in a childbirth preparation class. Each chapter is 3-6 minutes in length, and the educator can easily move from one chapter to the next. One suggestion would be to present one or two of the 15 chapters of the video during different class sessions, building on information. In the video, breastfeeding is depicted as normal and natural, and the chapters include world-renowned breastfeeding experts giving cutting-edge information accompanied by video clips and high-quality graphics. Some of the over 20 experts include Chele Marmet, Penny Simlun, Peter Hartmann, and Dr. William Sears.

At first glance, Breastfeeding Comprehensive does not appear to provide much cultural diversity with its high-quality graphics, romantic music, and scenes at Hawaiian beaches. However, as the video progresses, there is an excellent blending of many cultures rather than a stark difference, as often seen in teaching videos. Before showing the video, the educator may need to point out this initial weakness because it gives the appearance of affluence and educated, holistic moms and babies, an impression that may not work well with a lower-income population. Breastfeeding Comprehensive is a modern production. Its quality of graphics and video reflects the director's extensive videography experience and passion for birth, breastfeeding, and babies. Depending on the size of the childbirth class and budget, the childbirth educator may want to choose Breastfeeding Comprehensive (1 5 chapters), Breastfeeding Intensive (7 of the 15 chapters), or Breastfeeding Basics (4 of the 15 chapters,). The Mother of 7, Inc. Web site deeply outlines the content of each of the three videos and provides sample clips. The videos are easy to use in a lending library.

Reviewer:
Gini Baker, RN, MPH, IBCLC
University of California, San Diego, CA