A New Mama Breastfeeds: My Experience

When I found out I was pregnant, my husband and I agreed I would breastfeed exclusively if possible and for as long as possible

I researched the benefits for both mama and baby, read how-to books, and studied up on what to do in case of a problem. I even read about tandem nursing, in case I was still nursing my first and found myself pregnant again. Of course, I didn't think that would happen to me because I was sure breastfeeding on demand would keep fertility at bay for a long while. In my mind breastfeeding was a practical, functional, healthy thing to do.

Now that my daughter is four months old and still breastfeeding exclusively, I've seen that not only is nursing all those things, it's more. More than I could have thought of or researched.

We chose to have our baby born at home with a wonderful midwife who believed in mother-child bonding before anything else was done. As soon as Isabel was born she was placed on my belly so I could hold her and then wrapped up so I could nurse her. She wasn't 15 minutes old when she took her first drink and she was already a pro! She knew exactly what to do and how to do and got right down to business.

When she found what she wanted she gave a big suck and OW! I was not prepared for the pain. It felt like she clamped down on the nipple and tried to stretch it as far as she could, all the way back. Thankfully, that initial stab of pain subsided and all I felt was the tingling sensation of my skin being rubbed raw.

For the first two weeks it was like that. Sometimes that first latch-on suck was enough to make me curl my toes - literally! And my skin really was becoming raw from all the nursing we were doing. She ate every other hour for an hour at a time. No exception. My midwife recommended Lansinoh cream and that helped a lot. So did the Lansinoh nursing pads, especially when my milk came in after about four or five days.

I did not experience the painful engorgement and let-down some mothers do. Thank goodness, since the latching on and raw skin was plenty! I had just gone through a 15-hour all-natural vaginal labor and delivery and breastfeeding was painful enough.

After the first two weeks, though, all that pain subsided and my skin became used to getting pulled and sucked on and didn't feel quite so raw anymore. By the time Isabel was two months old I could barely feel it when she nursed, only if she wasn't on properly, and our nursing relationship deepened.

Nursing is such an intimate, sweet experience. I love watching her facial expressions, especially when she was brand new, and feeling her closeness. She will look up at me and watch me, sometimes copying my smile. At naptimes I will lay down and nurse her, which takes some practice but is a worthwhile ability, and watch her as she snuggles up to her food and falls asleep. Now that she is bigger she likes to place her hands on either side and bring her mouth to me. Sometimes she'll pull away and smile, or try to smile with her mouth full, and it's enough to make my heart melt.

It is amazing, truly wondrous, that I can give her every ounce of nutrition and satisfaction she needs. It's so simple and natural. I know so many new mamas have struggles with breastfeeding and many feel they just can't do it. I hope they try and persevere because it is worth it. The pain and discomfort is short-lived and in the view of a lifetime, six or twelve or eighteen or twenty-four months is really a drop in an ocean. Nurse as long as you can. We hope to.