Sunday Confessions: I hated breastfeeding
To some of you, this will come as no surprise. I wrote about the horrible pain and discomfort I went through the first 3 months as a guest post for Blair.
But in all honesty, breastfeeding was never fun for me. It rarely was something I found peaceful and serene. There were times like that, but most of it was filled with nipple shields, lanolin, plugged ducts, mastitis, chapped nipples, and constant pain. It was right after Bella turned a year old that I actually enjoyed our moments together like that, but then it ended.
Bella stopped nursing not to long after I wrote my post on Baby-Led Weaning (which I later learned usually refers to changing to solids at 6ish months, but oh well). She was only nursing once at night, and then one night she simply pulled away before nursing, and pointed to a book. She went to bed without a fuss.
The next night I simply skipped nursing and read her the book. She could have cared less. She tried once more after that when she was upset one night, but by that time it was over.
There was a twinge of sadness as I realized that was it for us. But mostly, relief.
I’m a breastfeeding advocate and still strongly support it – but I know it’s not for everyone. Heck, it almost wasn’t for me.
In some ways I wanted to be a mom that did extended breastfeeding, if only to appreciate it more the second year, but that wasn’t Bella’s deal.
And she found a new kind of boob. One that requires me to search all over the house, curse at it under my breath, clean it and carry it with us everywhere.
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Tags: Frustration
Thanks for sharing such an honest post about breastfeeding. I think some people are afraid to share the negative stuff, but if you really want to normalize breastfeeding, I think it all needs to come out, good or bad.
Jen J. – Life With Levi just wrote VIP Treatment at Brookstone