What I have learned about breastfeeding:
1. It takes a lot of time. and I do mean a LOT. the first few weeks all I did was breastfeed.
2. wearing a bra is pretty pointless...at least at first
3. I tend to obsess about my breasts all the time
4. engorgment hurts
5. the first five weeks were hell. painful, burning, hell
6. it is an amazing feeling to know that my body provides everything my little girl needs
7. the first time Kennedy was nursing and looked up at me and laughed (about a week ago) I cried. it was amazing. it made everything worth it.
7. I definitely get much less sleep nursing than I did bottle feeding porkchop.
8. Still, those late night snuggly nursing sessions are precious experiences
9. Bonus: thanks to breastfeeding, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight six weeks after giving birth
10. Downside: my body, even at pre-pregnacy weight, does not look the same. I am...shall we say...a bit "floppy" in the middle.
11. it is true what is said about breastfeeding and bonding.....I know I am going to be sad when it is time to wean
12. stretch marks on breasts are ugly. no way around that truth.
13. I feel like a human pacifier. I have tried every pacifier on the market, but Kennedy prefers me. or at least, my "girls."
5 comments:
I can relate. The Baby will be 15 months old soon and he's still nursing. I'm sad to think my nursing days are coming to an end. The first month was horrible but it got so much easier as he got older. I'm not at all thrilled with him grabbing my boobies in public and proclaiming loudly "MINE" but it's a small price to pay. Your daughter is gorgeous, congrats!
I still miss it and it's been 11 years. Seriously it was such a sweet experience. So happy to hear from you!!!
I'm so glad you posted again! I'll keep these in mind if (big IF) I ever have a little one.
It was hard at first, but it was so fulfilling when it started to work effortlessly.
I highly recommend learning to nurse lying down. If you are a book worm (like me) you can read and nurse at the same time, either in the lying down position with the book propped on the other side of the baby's head, or sitting in an arm chair, holding the book with one hand and the baby crooked in your other arm. (Is it selfish of me to admit this was one of my favorite parts of nursing? Always an excuse to lay down and read a book? And Gabe was happy to nurse for as long as I would let him. I even went to the movies once or twice, and he nurse through the whole thing. It was nice.)
Hi,
Thank you for sharing such wonderful personal insights about breastfeeding. I'm Hua, the director of Wellsphere's HealthBlogger Network, a network of over 2,000 of the best health writers on the web (including doctors, nurses, healthy living professionals, and expert patients). I think your blog would be a great addition to the Network in the Parenting Communting, and I'd like to invite you to learn more about it and apply to join at http://www.wellsphere.com/health-blogger. Once approved by our Chief Medical Officer, your posts will be republished on Wellsphere where they will be available to over 5 million monthly visitors who come to the site looking for health information and support. There’s no cost and no extra work for you! The HealthBlogger page (http://www.wellsphere.com/health-blogger) provides details about participation, but if you have any questions please feel free to email me at hua@wellsphere.com.
Best,
Hua
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