There was never any question in my mind whether or not I would breastfeed my babies. Being the second oldest out of nine children, not only were we all breastfeed but I grew up around lots of breastfeeding mom’s. Breastfeeding was a very normal occurrence. It was not until I did my own research that I came to know all the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby. Equipped with both second hand experience and knowledge, I was confident and determined to breastfeed my children.
Before the birth of my son, everything I read indicated that if breastfeeding was uncomfortable or painful it was because the mother was latching the baby on incorrectly. All of my second hand experience and researched knowledge could not have prepared me for the actual experience of breastfeeding my newborn son. I was so excited to nurse my son for the first time. The first day or so seemed to go well, as far as I knew my son had a good latch and was getting the very nutritious colostrum. After a couple of days breastfeeding started to be quite painful. The pain was sharp and stabbing. Based on what I had read and what pro mommies told me, breastfeeding should not hurt, if it does you are doing it wrong. So I consulted a book to verify that my son was latched on properly and he was and yet my breast, particularly my nipples, felt like they were being stabbed with red hot knives. To make matters worse my son was a cluster feeder; he would want to nurse for several sessions in a row for a good hour at a time. Not only was it exhausting, but it was incredibly painful. No one told me breastfeeding would hurt but it did and I was not doing anything wrong.