There are so many books out there about the benefits and do's and don'ts of breastfeeding, that this little book, fully titled "The Breastfeeding Diaries: Real Moms Share Their Funniest Misadventures" edited by Kate Davis, "The Funny Mommy," seemed like it would be a welcome respite from the serious and instructive.

In that respect, it didn't disappoint. Many of the short vignettes featured were cute, and certainly situation I could at least imagine, if not relate to as a nursing mom. A few of them were even laugh-out-loud funny. My favorite was probably the email a working/nursing/pumping mom sent to her office after a co-worker accidentally used some her breast milk stored in the office refrigerator for their coffee (I won't give it away!). Several of them even did manage in their humor to still be instructive, like the mom who gave herself a raging case of mastitis by wearing a tight pre-baby bra to show off her new voluptuous self at a grown-up party.

It's a short read, which is always nice, and because each of the tales is only a few pages or less, can be picked up or put down at will (or even read off to the side while nursing). There were, predictably, a lot of stories about leaking in public or accidentally spraying milk across a room or on someone. I can't say I really relate to either of those happening very often, but they were still cute to read. There were a decent amount of workplace tales, and even a few extended breastfeeding stories. For the most part they are told with grace and humor.

My one big disappointment with the book was at the very end. I got through the whole book thinking that it was pretty cute overall and a clever idea. But then on the last two pages, she gave the credits and listed permissions for all the women who had contributed their tales to the anthology. Nearly a third of them were simply found on two breastfeeding-related websites, posted by the moms who are credited with the vignette. As a writer, I guess I found this uninspired and unoriginal. I could go onto the internet and find other people's funny breastfeeding stories and ask permission to publish them too! After largely enjoying the book, it left a sour taste in my mouth that the stories were simply credited to the likes of "mom2jazzygirl" (no name even!) reprinted from Storknet. I can just go there and read that myself.

I guess overall, it was still a cute book and a nice gift idea for a nursing mom. For moms with scant time to read, it is very accessible and lighthearted. For a list price of $8 (less if used), it's worth it to help brighten a breastfeeding mama's day.