The Realities of Breastfeeding

If you haven’t heard about the breast/bottle debate you have either got your head buried in the sand or you’re a childless male. I am not even going to start on the pros and cons of formula vs. breast milk. If you’ve read even one mothering magazine you’ve already covered that topic. No, I want to talk about the experience of breastfeeding, the actual nitty gritty. As a mother who has spent 58 months nursing 3 children, I feel I am a bit of an authority on this!

Many inexperienced mothers envisage breastfeeding as a cosy, snugly experience; all rocking chairs, fire places and sweetly scented little heads. Sometimes it actually is like that. More often it’s not. Even though our bodies have sustained and nurtured this little life for nine whole months, the moment that baby is placed in your arms, the responsibility of keeping him alive suddenly consolidates into a huge reality. The worrying begins.

Am I producing enough milk? For the first few days it certainly doesn’t seem like it. Around five days after they’re born, babies get very, very hungry. They nurse and nurse and nurse, to the detriment of your nipples. They are doing this for a good reason. All that vacuuming stimulates your milk production, and suddenly there will be plenty of milk, but before that comes the pain. Cracked nipples, blisters, a hideously bruised sensation all combine to make it an excruciating experience. Some books and magazines I have read recommend a glass of wine to help you relax while working through the learning curve.

I preferred grimacing and wincing eloquently, scrunching my toes, and gritting my teeth. Anything to stop me from running and screaming from the room. People don’t usually like to volunteer for torture, much less do it again two to three hours later.

Then the milk comes in. Tennis balls suddenly become basketballs. Bras are no longer necessary. They just hold themselves up. The warm water of the shower sends milk spraying all over the shower curtain. Drying off after the shower becomes a sprint to cover up before you’re soaking wet again. Suddenly everything smells like old cheese. The poor starving child can’t latch on because it’s like trying to suck on a huge balloon. Once he does, at least you know he’s well fed!

Breastfeeding is full of painful experiences; teething, growth spurts, and mastitis. People are full of not very helpful advice. Not long after you get the hang of breastfeeding people start asking when you are going to wean. Then there’s the shyness of breastfeeding in front of the in-laws for the first time.

Disclaimer: Mine were great, and without their support the whole experience would have been so much harder, but I have heard some horrendous stories of offended in-laws.

So why do we do it? Because we love it. Because it really is the best food for a newborn.

Because the closeness and peace of sitting in the dark, a sweet smelling little head nestled at your breast, knowing that at that exact moment no one in the world is more loved than your baby is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

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