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Things They Don’t Tell You About Breastfeeding

The Mum Club10 April 2021

Things They Don’t Tell You About Breastfeeding

First things first, YOU get to choose. You carried your baby for nine months and only you can decide whether they’ll spend the next few months (or more) attached to you by the boob.

Breastfeeding can be hard in the beginning

For something that is so ‘natural’, it can takes a while for both you and the baby to figure it all out, so don’t be surprised if it doesn’t happen as easily as you’d expected.

When it clicks breastfeeding is easy

There’s no need to wash and sterilise, or worry about the perfect temperature.. Once you’ve found your way you can whack ‘em on the boob, morning, noon and night and you’re always good to go.

Your baby might not take the bottle

The dream is having a bit of both! Boob when it’s convenient and a bottle, so your other half can share some feeds. But the likelihood is your baby will probably prefer the boob and you won’t get much say in it.

It feels lovely knowing that your body is all they need to survive in the early days

Mother Nature is a boss.

It can hamper your sex life

You can feel over-touched, have leaky boobs…. and one thing they REALLY don’t tell you; is that it can become very dry down there. Natural organic lube is your friend – when you actually feel like it.

Your nipples go much darker than they were before

Don’t panic, it’s temporary.

Some (other) people are uncomfortable with an exposed breast

You might be too, which is totally fine (a huge muslin and some strategic layering will sort that out) but in our experience, trying to keep yourself completely covered up will stress you and the baby out, and practically guarantees you’ll end up exposing the nipple you were trying to hide. Just relax and remember it’s their problem.

Your nipples might be sore

Sore and bleeding nipples can happen to a lot of women and will make the journey more difficult but you can get help. Read more here: www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/breastfeeding-problems/sore-nipples/

A hot shower helps relieve blocked ducts

So does hand-expressing. You’ll feel like a cow but the relief is something else.

It’s not a method of weight-loss

Although those -500 calories are handy when you’re justifying a second slice of cake.

It doesn’t always ruin your boobs

When you do want to stop, do it slowly and they’ll end up looking less like a pair of golf balls in socks.

Babies get distracted

There comes a time (generally when feeding in public) that the world is suddenly more interesting than your nipple. Cue an exposed boob spurting milk all over your flat white.

When you decide it’s time to stop, your baby will be ok

They might be a little upset, and most likely so will you. But they’ll get used to it. Enlist the help of your other half, be strong and we promise it will all be ok.

You can have a glass of wine

Pump and dump the milk if you’ve had a big night out. But if you want a glass of wine, don’t let that be the reason you move to formula.

Don’t feel pressured to put them on the bottle if they aren’t taking to it straight away

There are some cases where your baby will need to be topped up. But if you feel strongly about breastfeeding, then persevere and you will get your supply up. Topping up with formula will just deplete it.

Cluster feeding is a thing

There will be a time when it feels like you feed for days on end. Set yourself up with a box set, get some snacks in and nestle down. Just like everything else, it shall pass.

You won’t lose the bond when you stop

The love is still there, they will still need you for a million other things (trust us on this one).

Whatever you decide is OK!

So what if your sister-in-law breastfed her son ‘til he was five, or your workmate didn’t even give it a go. We’re all in this together.

Need help with breastfeeding? The national helpline is a free service available to those looking for support (0300 100 0212)

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The Mum Club10 April 2021