The Breastfeeding Struggle Is Real!

Breastfeeding is a lot of things: healthy, rewarding, exhausting, emotionally draining, etc.  One thing it isn’t…EASY!

For those who haven’t ever experienced breastfeeding, it may be hard for you to fully understand.  Trust me I never imagined it would be this hard and was quick to judge those who chose alternative feeding methods prior to becoming a mother.

Breastfeeding undoubtedly is the best source of nutrients for your child.  It’s wonderful in that it changes based on your child’s needs.  It’s like this magic milk that somehow knows when your child is sick and even fills your child with antibodies to keep them from getting the flu plague that always seems to hit everyone around you.  It helps mom lose weight, it’s free and convenient and it even HELPS (not fully) prevent another little from entering your life anytime soon.

Putting aside all the good, let’s talk about the real life struggles of breastfeeding:

• You don’t produce enough
  This one is mentally detrimental, emotional draining and nutritionally lacking for the child. Many women struggle with this, I would even venture to say most women have dealt with this a time or two.  There’s nothing worse than feeling like your child isn’t getting enough and there’s nothing you can do about it!  I dealt with this a couple times for a short period and I felt helpless; I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t fulfilling my child’s need.  I even cried a few times praying to God that my milk production would significantly increase to more than fill my child’s needs.  I can’t imagine what the mom’s go through that are never able to get their milk up to a level that fulfills the child’s needs and wants.  To those woman, my heart goes out to you.
• You over produce
  This is a serious problem people! I think most of the time we are quick to look at those who have this struggle as a blessing and downplay the nature of what they’re going through.  If you’ve never experienced it, let me enlighten you for a bit.  Over production when your child eats only a smidge means lots of pain, pumping and even mastitis.  I got Mastitis with my second child in the hospital and will never forget the pain I went through.  I would cry every night, when I should’ve been resting for the 3-4 hours I was going to get.  I tried pumping to relieve myself, only to get yelled at by nurses, tried heat pads and ice bags.  I slept with bags of ice on my chest for a week and still felt like they were going to bust open at any moment!
• It’s so time consuming
  Yes…I said it! Breastfeeding takes up SO much time!  I feel like a human cow who’s constantly got a baby on my breast.  If I’m not breastfeeding, I’m pumping because I over produce and don’t want to be in pain, but I also know if I don’t my milk production will decrease.  I pump every morning and every night for this reason.  I have to wake up by 7am to pump every morning because typically the baby wakes up around 7:15 and the last thing I want is to hear her crying the entire time I’m pumping.  Then there’s all the time you spend just trying to get your child to eat!  They won’t latch right, they start biting, they get distracted, etc.  When done right it should only take 20-25 minutes, but hey my kids think its super fun to make it into a 45 session.  Oh yay…that means I only have 1.5-2 more hours till we get to do it all over again!

  

• It’s the center of your life
  My day and schedule is centered around breastfeeding. I need to go to the grocery store, but I have to feed the baby in 45 minutes and I don’t think I’ll be back in time.  My two-year-old is upstairs crying in his bed but I can’t get him right now because I’m breastfeeding.  I need to get dinner started but the baby needs to eat…no problem I’m really good at chopping veggies with 1 hand.  My family wants to go out to dinner…well I can’t at 4 because the baby will be eating but 6 is too late because then I’ll have feed her right in the middle of dinner so basically I can only eat between 5-6. UGH…. I just want to be able to say “Yea let’s go to dinner.  Let me know what time and we’ll be there”
• Only you can feed the child
  Okay so there is a loophole and it’s called pumping, but lets me honest…by the time you pump and get the bottle ready it’s just easier to do it yourself. Not to mention the first few months of life when the child is eating in the middle of the night, YOU have to be the one to go and feed the baby when you just want to be sleeping.  The last thing you want to do at midnight and 3:00am is go pump for 15-30 minutes just to then go wake up your husband to feed the baby.  Too much work and there’s no point in both of us being sleep deprived.

  

• You can never leave the child longer than 4-5 hours
  This is based on each mama’s breastfeeding schedule but typically this is an average range of time.  I have lots of milk stored up for when I’m gone but here’s the thing, how am I going to pump and store the milk while I’m out!?  I still have to keep my milk up and relieve myself so it’s just easier to not be gone that long.  Plus, I don’t really want to get too much off schedule or else the entire day is shot.  Getting off schedule means she goes to bed later and I may have to do extra pumping sessions.

I could go on and on but I think I’ve made my point.  Breastfeeding is a struggle and definitely is hard work!  Don’t even get me started on working moms who still breastfeed.  I worked and pumped with both my boys and man is it exhausting to keep up with.  I think more credit needs to be given to breastfeeding moms.  Breastfeeding and I definitely have a love hate relationship but I just keep telling myself “it’s only 1 year…it’s only 1 year.”