Nicole Tasker Woods

I’m sure this post is going to qualify as TMI, but hey, it’s my blog and if I want to talk about nipples, I’m going to. I may not post it on facebook or twitter, but on my website, I can do what I want.

I am currently sitting in bed icing my nipples. There, I said it!

It is hard to explain what my nipples feel like in between my nursing sessions with my 3 week old son. The initial latch and incredibly hard suction he creates with his mouth is a little painful for about 6 seconds at the very beginning, but then the rest of the time it does not hurt at all. However, I have had to ice my nipples on a couple of occasions in between feedings. I even have some homemade ice packs just for my nipples in the freezer. I never thought I would ever want to put something as cold as ice on my breasts–I mean, think about it–anyone’s nipples (be it a man’s or a woman’s) are very sensitive to any kind of touch or change in temperature. But believe me when I tell you this ice is so soothing.

I always wanted to breastfeed my baby, but I got a lot of opinions from family and friends…

• Reasons why I should breastfeed
• Reasons why I shouldn’t breastfeed
• How long I should breastfeed for
• Why formula is the worst thing to give your baby
• Why I shouldn’t combine breastfeeding with formula feeding
• Why I should hold off on purchasing a breast-pump until I know if I truly want to breastfeed

All of these little pieces of wisdom were very stressful to hear. My heart was totally set on breastfeeding and I was discouraged by these opinions. But I made the decision to purchase a high-end breast-pump and to not buy any formula. I was not sure how long I would be able to breastfeed for because eventually I would return to work, but I wanted to try and do it for as long as possible.

Now that I have my own personal experience, I have a better handle on breastfeeding. I have gotten a feeding schedule under my belt, I know when to fit in a time to pump and freeze the milk for future use and I also know that it is OK to incorporate a bottle of formula so that the baby’s system is not shocked by the change in food. All the experts tell you to breastfeed for a year, but honestly, I can not imagine keeping this up for an entire year. While it takes my son 15 minutes at each breast for an entire feeding, he can guzzle down the same amount of food from a bottle in 5 minutes. During the sleepless nights where I am dozing off while he sucks away, I think how nice it would be to feed him in 5 minutes because I would be able to return to my bed that much quicker. But I am also aware that the little man will start to sleep through the night which means less nighttime feedings.

In the end, no matter what I decide to do, it will be my decision and I am comfortable with that.