Ugly Breastfeeding Facts That No One Tells

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When you are pregnant, you take breastfeeding as a choice or even a necessity. But when it comes down to giving your newborn baby his or her first feed, you actually realise the challenges that breastfeeding poses.

There are some breastfeeding facts that no one talks about. The reason these breastfeeding problems are never discussed is that they are quite gross.

The ugly facts about breastfeeding are not intolerable. However, if you are aware of these common breastfeeding problems you will be better prepared to face them. Some of these breastfeeding facts may put you off but do not choose to quit feeding your newborn baby. The sole consolation to a new mother is that breastfeeding gets easier with time.

There is and never will be any supplement for mother's milk. And your baby will benefit from breastfeeding immensely. Moreover, feeding your baby will also help you lose those extra pounds.

The breastfeeding facts cover all the challenges you will face from day one until you have weaned your baby.

In The Beginning, It Really Hurts

After delivering the baby, your body secretes a hormone that starts the flow of milk in your breasts. But this takes some time. In the meantime, your nipples have to be pinched in order to squeeze out the milk your baby needs.

Heaviness

Once the full flow of milk starts, your breasts feel really heavy and dense. The fact of the matter is that, your breats will start sagging due to the weight unless you wear a support maternity bra.

Wet Patches

Milk supply depends on a hormonal stimulus. Whenever it is time for your baby to feed, your breasts will start overflowing with milk. This results in wet patches on your bosom, staining your clothes sometimes.

Sore Nipples

One of the painful facts about breastfeeding is that it can give you really sore nipples. A new mother may end up with bruised nipples due to incorrect feeding positions.

It Is Tiring

Production of breast milk takes a lot of energy. Besides your baby has to be fed every 2 hours. This can cause fatigue in the postnatal period unless you eat well and take lots of rest.

Baby’s Favourite Breast

Most babies have a favourite breast. You may notice that your baby wants to feed from one breast consistently, while the other is overflowing with milk.

Nipple Size

If your nipples are two small or too large, the baby might have problems in latching on to your breasts.

Engorged Breasts

Feeding irregularities can make your breasts engorged. The milk in your breasts solidifies and causes a lot of pain. You need to either pump the breast milk or make your baby feed to get relief.

Backache

One of the main problems of breastfeeding is getting the position wrong. Most new mothers have a tendency to bend down and feed the baby that worsens the backache you already have from the prenatal stage.

Teething Baby

It is advisable to feed your baby well past the 6 months mark. But once your baby starts teething he or she may develop a tendency to injure your nipples by biting.

Special Type Of Clothing

When you are feeding your baby, you have to wear special nursing clothes to keep your breasts accessible. This results in limited choice of clothing. Your wardrobe will be changed.

Sleepless Nights

Breast milk contains 80 percent water and your baby digests it very quickly. So if your baby is exclusively breastfed, he or she will not sleep through the night.

Getting Back To Work Is A Pain

When you choose to breastfeed, you cannot be separated from your baby physically for more than 3 to 4 hours (even if you store expressed milk). That makes getting back to work very difficult for working mothers.