aby, and it starts with breastfeeding. He wants you to use the gifts He gave you -- physical and spiritual -- to help your baby thrive and mold you into a loving Catholic mother. That's why the Church has long promoted breastfeeding.

Today, many mothers know that the medical evidence in favor of breastfeeding is overwhelming: your milk nourishes your baby and boosts his immunity; your warm, reassuring maternal embrace fosters his early mental and emotional development.

But the spiritual reasons for breastfeeding are just as strong. Citing priests and popes, author Sheila Kippley here shows that nursing is not only the best way to ensure your baby's health and proper psychological development; it's an integral part of your vocation as a Catholic mother.

Nursing your baby is an act of Christian charity. Indeed, Pope John Paul II says that nursing mothers are "truly heroic." Their selflessness is a boon to the family, the Church, and society. Breastfeeding creates the intimate bonds of love and trust on which all Christian communion is based. It awakens tenderness in you and a sense of wonder at creation, especially at the marvel you cradle in your arms, your tiny baby.

These pages show that breastfeeding is the best care you can give your baby, and it's also good for you as a Catholic woman. Nursing will deepen your love and develop in you habits of meditation and prayer.

Let Sheila Kippley help you take the next step toward breastfeeding. Soon, as you gaze on the baby nursing in your arms, you'll find praise of God welling up in your soul, and thanksgiving for His wonderful works and for the marvelous gifts He has given you.