I feel confident saying that, in those first months of motherhood, breastfeeding caused me more strife and stress than any other aspect of parenting, including sleep and diapers. Turns out, frustrations with breastfeeding are common and almost all nursing moms can describe their most frustrating part of breastfeeding. Or parts, as the case may be for some.
I was warned that breastfeeding could be tough so many times I, honestly, lost count. Still, I tried to remain hopeful and convinced myself that it could, and would, work for me. I mean, women all over the world were doing it everyday, right? Surely this meant that learning how to breastfeed was a smooth transition for most if not all women, correct?
Well, yes. For many women breastfeeding is somewhat "easy" and relatively painless. However, I wasn't one of those women. Eventually, my son and I got the hang of it and I breastfed for more than two years. However, if you’d told me at the beginning that this would be the case, I would have laughed. Actually, I probably wouldn’t have had the energy to laugh, so I might have given you a weak smile of disbelief. Because, when you’re in the middle of it, those challenges can be pretty monumental and seem nothing short of never-ending. Here’s what other moms had to say about the most frustrating part for them: