Before we had our first child, I had already resolved on becoming a full-time mom while our kids are still young. When I got pregnant, I stopped working and devoted myself to reading books. Having been breastfed by my own mother and having an older sister who exclusively breastfeeds her kids, I have decided to do likewise.
I have read and heard about the pains experienced when breastfeeding so I have mentally prepared myself regarding these.
My sister has been plagued by mastitis while breastfeeding her kids. It was distressing seeing her moan in pain and trying to alleviate it by applying warm compresses. I did not look forward to experiencing it but I have prepared myself just the same.
I did not have mastitis but I had a similar, if not more painful, experience.
Because my baby was not properly latching on to my breast during feeding, I developed a tear on my nipple. It grew bigger and bigger and breastfeeding became painful more and more each day. Later my other breast got a tear too. I remembered kicking the bed and groaning in pain while feeding my baby.
I sought the help of our pediatrician and she gave me a cream to be applied on the affected parts. It did not make much difference so I made my own research.
It was a blessing that we were living with my sister's family at that time. She agreed to feed my baby before we went to bed at night so that my breasts can take a bit of rest and be encouraged to heal. I wet the affected parts with my breastmilk and airdried them. Once in a while I expressed milk by squeezing my breasts in order to prevent more painful problems.
After a 12 hour rest, my breasts began to heal. I resumed feeding my baby and I made sure she was latching on properly. Slowly, the pain ebbed until breastfeeding no longer became a painful ordeal but a wonderful bonding experience.
More about my breasfeeding experiences later. Watch out for Part 3.
Note: Some people may be grossed out by what I have posted but I am only stating my own experiences. Things like these do happen.
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