When my first son was born I knew I wanted to breastfeed. I had a deep desire to provide him with my milk. My body was going to automatically make it, it was going to be the best start for him nutritionally and it would provide a beautiful foundation to build our relationship on but I was extremely unprepared for the challenges and nuances of breastfeeding

I couldn’t figure out why breastfeeding was so hard for me

Add to that not being prepared for how my body was changing after birth, how my sleep was changing and having no idea how to actually find time to care for myself and things quickly felt overwhelming and exhausting (both mentally and physically)

• The frequent night feedings when all I wanted was sleep

• Feeling like all I was doing 24/7 was breastfeeding

• Stressed out about what was normal eating behavior when my baby was nursing every hour

• The physical pain that I felt when he latched and fed

• The frustration I felt when I wasn’t enjoying motherhood like I wanted to  

• The blame I felt when I wasn't making enough milk

I thought breastfeeding was supposed to be hard and that maybe it would somehow get better if I just pushed through..