As if breastfeeding isn’t challenging in and of itself, there is a surprisingly high number of cruel things that could be done to breastfeeding woman to complicate the entire situation, even further. I know, I know, we don’t normally think of breastfeeding women as deserving of cruelty (because, you know, they're literally giving of themselves in order to sustain another human life), but facts are facts.
There are so many specific needs and wants that breastfeeding women can have, so to interfere with any of them is to throw her off in a number of ways. When I was breastfeeding, I had many, manyfeelings about the fact that I was breastfeeding. There was a long list of things that I relied on for comfort, general function, and to manage both physical and emotional needs for those two years. These things were as important to me as elastic-waist pants, coffee, and oxygen. They were necessities and, as such, I had serious doubts that I could handle breastfeeding without them.
Thankfully, none of my loved ones made any attempts to disrupt the routine my son and I had, but they could have. In fact, looking back I've realized that it would have been so easy for them to completely derail my breastfeeding efforts. So, I present this list today for merely educational purposes and for our reading pleasure, and not as suggestions for how to mess with any enemies who also happen to be lactating.