Helpful How-To: In the Land of Milk and...Well, More Milk

Despite the beautiful babies I make, I am anything BUT a walking poster child for pregnancy and breastfeeding.

I talk to so many women who luuuurve being pregnant.

And even more who cherish breastfeeding.

And they all tend to make me feel like something is terribly wrong with me.

I seriously loathe pregnancy.

And breastfeeding isn't really much better.

I don't feel a huge bond with my child while nursing.

I feel sleepy.

(Which is actually completely normal due to the release of endorphins during let down.)

But my point?

Or the point of this post?

Despite the fact that I don't enjoy the nursing process, I can tell you how to make it less painful.

Or what I did to make it less painful.

Not to mention how I avoided the  cracking and bleeding that almost all of my friends have complained of.

It's pretty common sense actually.

Think about it.

You don't go out and run a half marathon without prepping your body, right?

So why would you think you could jump right into anything as rigorous as breastfeeding without doing the same?

And actually, I didn't come up with my idea.

About a month before I delivered Little Man, a nurse friend suggested I start scrubbing the "girls" before I showered every day with a rough washcloth.

And then my lactation consultant in the breastfeeding class I took suggested something similar.

And this time around, I talked to at least 4 doctors/nurses/midwives who agreed.

So around 35 weeks, I started my regimen.

And now, 7 weeks later, I am sooooo thankful. I have had little to no pain while nursing-way different from last time-and not a hint of cracking or bleeding yet.

Honestly.

Let down is actually way more painful than nursing is.

What I'm trying to say is, although breastfeeding can tend to be exhausting and painful and- according to some-completely rewarding, and-according to me- completely FREE, with a little preparation, it can also be completely painless.

And that more than makes up for the fact that you feel like a Jersey cow for a small eternity.

I would love to hear from those of you who have breastfed and or attempted to breastfeed to know if you did anything to peep yourself and or if you experienced any of the messy side affects!