Ever since I figured out as a girl that human Moms make milk for their babies just like the all other Moms God created I just assumed that's what I was going to get to do when I became a Mom. As I got older I found out more and more reasons to breast feed my babies - best nutrition for baby, close frequent contact improves baby's brain development, reduced risk of cancer for Mom, delayed fertility return, free nutrition thats always at hand and speedier recovery were just a few of the many reasons I wanted to do this.
Not until I was pregnant did I really start to understand some of the challenges that might come with this decision. Sore nipples, mastitis, not having enough milk, and no sleep began clouding my ideal nursing image. I quizzed almost every nursing mom I knew to try to prep as much as possible for this exciting, yet intimidating, unknown.
Nothing I learned fully prepared me for the realities of this awesome, challenging and often exhausting job.
Almost two months after starting this journey I feel like I can finally start reflecting on this experience and share what it has been like for me. Of course every woman and baby is different, but this will at least serve as a memoir for me and might help you along the way too.
As with my pregnancy posts, I feel like this series needs a disclaimer. I tend to be insatiably curious once I start learning about something I might soon experience, I want all the details some one is willing to give. In the same way I want to share all the details I was previously curious about, or that took me by surprise. So, as previously stated, you might learn more about me than you wanted to know - consider yourself warned.
Secondly, as the title indicates, I'm going to talk about lots of aspects of nursing, including the bad and the ugly. This does not mean I regret nursing in any way or that I want to discourage anyone from trying it - but it doesn't come as naturally or easily as I assumed it should.
Now, with you properly warned, here come the the good, the bad and the milky details of my nursing experience!
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