Yes, it is a truth universally acknowledged by the mothers of my acquaintance that breastfeeding is possibly the hardest part of being a new mommy. Whether it is your 1st or your 5th breastfeeding takes the cake hands down.
Just getting the little beggers to latch on can be an experiment in frustration. Then once they have latched on you get to experience the special hell that is a swollen and possibly cracked nipple. Oh, yes people, those puppies can crack! Now, this is not to say that when properly achieved nursing is not one of the most special forms of bonding with your baby- it is. I am just saying that nobody tells you how tough it can be or that you will end up smelling like a goat. I mean to say that most days, by the end of the day, even if I am lucky enough to have gotten a shower, I smell like I am making some kind of special French goat cheese in my nursing bra for crying out loud.
What to Expect When You're Expecting never told me to expect that!
They also never tell you that you can become so frik frakkin' engorged that your tata's can be shiny! You heard me, shiny! Not to mention misshapen. You have to wear little boob diapers they call nursing pads- but trust me they are boob diapers. You may find that you wake in the middle of the night only to discover that one of your boob diapers has mysteriously travelled out of your sleep bra and migrated to the land of "where the hell did that go". Now you and your bed are completely soaked in milk. Mmmmm. Or should I say Mooooooo?
And for some reason I keep finding that the general concenus of women who have never had kids, or have just had their first, is that this is supposed to be easy peasey. Now they are watching their hungry baby scream for food and have no control over the situation and feel guilty or inadequate because there is this huge misconception that this "natural" thing is supposed to just happen and be beautiful from the get go. Girls this little tyraid goes out to you, my fellow goats, give it time. It is tough and it can be beautiful, but it is not easy and it is not for everyone and that is okay. We have enough pressure without feeling like a bad mommy for not loving, or even being able, to breastfeed.
Love From,
Your friendly neighborhood Goat
Just getting the little beggers to latch on can be an experiment in frustration. Then once they have latched on you get to experience the special hell that is a swollen and possibly cracked nipple. Oh, yes people, those puppies can crack! Now, this is not to say that when properly achieved nursing is not one of the most special forms of bonding with your baby- it is. I am just saying that nobody tells you how tough it can be or that you will end up smelling like a goat. I mean to say that most days, by the end of the day, even if I am lucky enough to have gotten a shower, I smell like I am making some kind of special French goat cheese in my nursing bra for crying out loud.
What to Expect When You're Expecting never told me to expect that!
They also never tell you that you can become so frik frakkin' engorged that your tata's can be shiny! You heard me, shiny! Not to mention misshapen. You have to wear little boob diapers they call nursing pads- but trust me they are boob diapers. You may find that you wake in the middle of the night only to discover that one of your boob diapers has mysteriously travelled out of your sleep bra and migrated to the land of "where the hell did that go". Now you and your bed are completely soaked in milk. Mmmmm. Or should I say Mooooooo?
And for some reason I keep finding that the general concenus of women who have never had kids, or have just had their first, is that this is supposed to be easy peasey. Now they are watching their hungry baby scream for food and have no control over the situation and feel guilty or inadequate because there is this huge misconception that this "natural" thing is supposed to just happen and be beautiful from the get go. Girls this little tyraid goes out to you, my fellow goats, give it time. It is tough and it can be beautiful, but it is not easy and it is not for everyone and that is okay. We have enough pressure without feeling like a bad mommy for not loving, or even being able, to breastfeed.
Love From,
Your friendly neighborhood Goat
