The Birthing Tree Blog
  • Blog
    • Videos
    • Infographics
  • Classes
  • About
    • Main Website
  • Contact

Why Breastfeeding My Daughter was the Hardest Thing I Have Ever Done.

10/16/2015

27 Comments

 
Picture
"Breastfeeding my daughter was the hardest thing I've ever done." 

This was a bold statement coming from a nationally renowned theater coach who is commanding in her poised stature. I would have thought making a living in theater would have been the hardest thing she'd ever done, but to her, it was more difficult to sit down and nurse.
Picture
 "I wrote a book of letters to my daughter throughout that first year and a half when I was feeding her. I told her everything I wanted her to know about life."

 I heard this message in the last trimester of my pregnancy. As I experienced many times throughout the nine months of gestation, women would gather around me frequently to tell me about their own experiences of motherhood. While I may not have always been accepting of their advice, I realized that women vicariously traveled back to their precious memories by telling me these stories.
 
I found it challenging to stop mothers from sharing the not-so-precious memories too – it seemed they found some relief in relaying their painful experiences about getting the child to latch or having chafed nipples.
 
Nearing the last days of my pregnancy, and perhaps the last days before my breasts were to go to battle, I prepared myself by getting the name of a lactation specialist and stocking up on nipple butter. Despite all of the of the breastfeeding stories I collected, I did not expect that my own problem would not be physical but psychological. As a long-time multi-tasker, get-it-done kind of woman, it was an emotional challenge for me to just sit down, be still, and nurse. 
 

​For the first month after my daughter was born, I arranged elaborate props in bed to hold both my upper back and my baby's head while she nursed. This allowed me to either read a book or place a lap-pillow in front of me so I could work on my computer. After that first month, however, I increasingly found myself "stuck" on the couch or at the dining room table or in the rocking chair, unable to move and ill-equipped for the hour or more of sitting. I felt a prisoner to my own mind, which rattled off the million things I thought I should be doing. The lists grew larger and larger in my head and interfered with my ability to be in the present. 
 
The deepest worry I had on this lists of “shoulds” was that I should cherish this special time with my newborn, soaking in every instant of the experience. I did do that - looking into my daughter's eyes, stroking her head, rubbing ointment into her skin. But to my addled brain that had been trained for the last twenty years to always be productive, I only felt able to be in the present for a couple minutes at a time. I began to solve my unrest by stashing books around the house, behind couch pillows, on tables, in order to keep my wandering mind at bay. I discovered that reading a good book enabled me to find my center, relax into the moment, and enjoy the quiet time with my little one.
 
In my experience, mothers have a long list of things to regret not doing (or not doing well enough). I chose not to beat myself up about not savoring every second of breastfeeding. Reading while breastfeeding was not a compromise between satiating my busy mind verses only focusing on my child but it was exactly what I wanted to do. My own mother told me that she read tons of books while she breastfed me and other mothers have admitted to watching endless hours of Netflix. Instead of feeling badly about what I should be experiencing, I'd like to let other mothers know that the challenges of breastfeeding are her own and she will find her way to adapt.

By Lucy Gent Foma for The Birthing Tree


27 Comments
takipçi satın al link
8/1/2022 05:05:16 am

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://takipcisatinalz.com/takipci-2/

Reply
define dedektor link
8/2/2022 12:52:14 am

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://www.ugurelektronik.com/

Reply
instagram takipçi satın al link
8/3/2022 01:12:40 am

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://www.takipcikenti.com/instagram/turk-takipci/

Reply
okx kayıt ol link
8/9/2022 03:45:39 am

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://www.smsbankasi.net/2022/01/okex-nedir-nasl-kayt-olunur-nasl.html

Reply
Mobil ödeme bozdurma link
8/19/2022 04:13:53 pm

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://guvenbozum.com/

Reply
YellowPencil Nulled link
9/5/2022 10:48:02 am

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://freecodezilla.net/yellow-pencil-visual-css-style-editor-plugin/

Reply
site kurma link
9/11/2022 06:18:41 pm

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://kurma.website/

Reply
site kurma link
9/30/2022 03:44:10 am

It's great to have this type of content. Good luck with your spirit. Thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma

Reply
etimesgut escort link
10/5/2022 01:10:29 am

I think this post is useful for people. It has been very useful for me. Looking forward to the next one, thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/ankara-escort/etimesgut-escort/

Reply
pinarhisar escort link
10/5/2022 08:25:05 am

It was a post that I found very successful. Good luck to you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/kirklareli-escort/pinarhisar-escort/

Reply
of escort link
10/5/2022 08:59:37 pm

I follow your posts closely. I can find it thanks to your reliable share. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/trabzon-escort/of-escort/

Reply
aydincik escort link
10/6/2022 10:38:41 am

I support your continuation of your posts. I will be happy as new posts come. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/yozgat-escort/aydincik-escort-yozgat-escort/

Reply
cayirova escort link
10/7/2022 03:27:48 am

I think the content is at a successful level. It adds enough information. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/kocaeli-escort/cayirova-escort/

Reply
lacin escort link
10/7/2022 11:36:09 pm

Thank you for your sharing. I must say that I am successful in your content. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/corum-escort/lacin-escort/

Reply
kozan escort link
10/8/2022 03:49:24 am

Thoughtful and real content is shared. Thank you for these shares. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/adana-escort/kozan-escort/

Reply
Korsan Taksi link
11/11/2022 06:21:04 pm

Sitemizi ziyaret et: https://taksikenti.com/

Reply
evden iş imkanı link
11/21/2022 03:01:17 pm

Tıkla evde calismaya basla: https://sites.google.com/view/evden-ek-is/

Reply
betinfo link
11/22/2022 01:08:10 pm

It was a successful post.These types of posts are very helpful.

Reply
mrbahis link
12/6/2022 01:44:38 pm

Congratulations for the successful article. I can't wait for the sequel.

Reply
mrbahis link
12/8/2022 04:22:47 pm

This is nice work. Seeing good works on good days gives one peace of mind.

Reply
vbet link
12/9/2022 03:10:45 am

Congratulations, it's a nice post. I'm always waiting for such nice posts in the future.

Reply
takipçi satın al link
12/9/2022 02:28:15 pm

kaliteli düşmeyen takipçi satın al: https://takipcialdim.com/

Reply
tiktok takipçi satın al link
12/9/2022 05:34:08 pm

Garantili Tiktok takipçi satın al: https://takipcialdim.com/tiktok-takipci-satin-al/

Reply
instagram beğeni satın al link
12/9/2022 05:38:12 pm

İnstagram beğeni takipçi satın al: https://takipcialdim.com/instagram-begeni-satin-al/

Reply
takipçi satın al link
12/15/2022 01:25:23 pm

takipci satın almak için tıkla: https://takipcim.com.tr/

Reply
sms onay link
12/15/2022 01:26:11 pm

Hemen Göz At: https://www.smsonay.com/

Reply
casino siteleri link
12/28/2022 12:34:10 am

online casino oyna: http://haikuboy.com

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    This blog is collaboration between co-owner Shabd Simran Adeniji (BA, BM, MPH) and guest bloggers

    Categories

    All
    Breastfeeding
    DIASTISIS RECTI
    Due Date
    Due Month
    Empowerment
    First Trimester
    Healing
    Infographic
    Mamma Tips
    Maternity Provider
    Nutrition
    PostPartum
    Pregnancy
    Pregnancy Blog
    Support
    Video Blog
    Working Mom

    Archives

    February 2022
    June 2020
    March 2019
    February 2019
    June 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    RSS Feed

    Share your contact so we can update you with our services & blog 

Submit

The content of the pages of this website is for informational use only and may not be used for medical advice. Your acknowledgement of the information and materials presented may contain inaccuracies and we reserve the right by law all liabilities. Your use of our website is at your won right, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to use the information or products to meet your requirements. All information on this website is owned by The Birthing Tree.