Tits like bricks

Nico - Day 16

Before I had Nico I used to watch women feeding their babies and making it look effortless.  After all, it's the most natural thing the world - isn't it?  It's what we're designed to do.  But natural as it may be, it is still learned.  Sex is natural, but you still have to learn how to do it, and breastfeeding has felt much the same.

Snuggling up with your newborn and feeding them is a truly wonderful experience as they cuddle in during the feed and then burp with contentment.  But what no one really tells you is that it hurts like hell for the first couple of weeks.  The books come clean, but I don't recall any of my friends warning me in advance although some have sympathised in agreement since.  Even my NCT classes didn't quite prepare me for the impact of having a baby suckle at my breast for 12 hours a day (at least that's what it feels like at the moment).

The first few days are all about toughening up the nipples as there's no real milk until around day 4.  The initial sessions give the baby the liquid gold that is colostrum to line his stomach and to provide him with an immunity boost, but really they're practice runs for both mum and baby for when the milk comes in.   The advice for these days is to apply medical grade lanolin as often as you can.

My advice for day 4...buy a supportive bra, some paracetemol, pads that you can chill in the fridge and watch with wonder as the breasts that had grown so much during pregnancy appear to double in size again.  Take comfort from the fact that the pain of the milk coming in will pass after a couple of days, only to revisit when the mature milk comes in around day 12.

I'm pleased to say that 16 days in and all of the pain appears to have past and the feeding sessions are no longer dreaded but treasured as a very special time of bonding.