God has a plan for you and your baby, 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 fa