Breastfeeding- My experience

Breastfeeding is amazing. It is the perfect food for your baby and is always ready- no making or cleaning of bottles is necessary. However breastfeeding, for most women is really hard at first!

My experience is pretty easy compared to some...my son latched on great from the first moment (he was breastfeeding within the first 30 minutes of his life- something that was very important to me). Thankfully- that was easy, but oh my goodness did it hurt. It hurt so bad that I would cry and cry and swear...and swear some more. Plus, my huge chunky monkey wanted to eat every hour for the first few days. Ugh! the lactation nurses kept telling me that it should not hurt if he was latching correctly, but when they would check him, he WAS latched properly...so they seemed lost. Then one of them said to me- your nipples and breast tissue just need some time to adjust, then it will stop hurting. Well, two excruciating weeks later, it finally stopped hurting.

Which brings me to my first point about breastfeeding. You have to be 150% committed to breastfeeding. If you even give yourself one minute of 'I will try it and will use formula if it gets too hard'...I promise you, you will end up quitting breastfeeding and you will use formula. Because breastfeeding IS that hard. If you want to nurse your child for at least the year the AAP recommends, then you have to say to yourself that you are going to breastfeed NO MATTER WHAT.

There cannot be another option.

Now, for me, it stopped hurting after two weeks. But it took me two MONTHS before I enjoyed it. For me, it was so demanding, so consuming, and because I had a huge baby who LOVED his 'boobie time'...it was so overwhelming. I did not want to give him a bottle so young, so I did not pump and it was hard to always have to be near him. I could not have a lot of 'me time' and I was jealous when my husband got to be downstairs watching tv or SLEEPING while I had to feed my son.

Then one day, I had an epiphany...my son loved nursing more than anything else in the world. He was never happier, or more comforted and loved during our breastfeeding time. He smiled and laughed when I said 'boobie time' and got so snuggly.

It was not just about food- and THAT is what made the difference in my attitude. Breastfeeding was about bonding, comforting and cuddling, which are the things that babies need most!

Now, I have a 16 month old and we are still enjoying our 'boobie time' several times each day, and I do not have a set time when I am going to stop. Just when it is right for both of us.

So- if you want to breastfeed...DO IT! Just be sure you commit with your whole heart and find a support team of women who successfully breastfed their little ones and who enjoyed it to help you during the difficult times and celebrate with you during the great times.

Start here by leaving your breastfeeding story and experiences in the comments section!