A Tale From the Breastfeeding Trenches

If you are breastfeeding or have ever breastfed…you’ll likely understand.

The first few weeks of breastfeeding are hard. Plain and simple. It can be lonely as no one can help. Unfortunately, husbands were not graced with boobs rendering them utterly useless…which brings me to my point.

There is no image worse than looking over at 3 am and seeing your husband sound asleep…lying there comfortably while you are breastfeeding your baby for the fourth time that night. Your boobs hurt. Your back hurts. Your nipples hurt. Everything hurts. You just want sleep. Not broken sleep. Sleep that can be defined in hours in-a-row. Should you be *blessed* with a husband like mine, you may even get him to roll over and tell you that the baby is likely hungry. As if the loud screaming didn’t give it away- the husband thinks his announcement in some way is helpful…when really you just want to smack him.

After uttering one such phrase and receiving the look of death from me, the Hubs asks what I want him to do. To which I responded, and meant, “I want you to get out of bed, wash your hands, change the baby’s diaper, and then sit up in bed and pinch your nipples for twenty minutes per side.” It sounded like a great idea to me, of course the husband promptly rolled over and went back to sleep. At least I got a good laugh out of it.

So, as I see it. Someone needs to invent an empathy belly that puts pressure on your bladder, a contraction simulator, and a nipple pincher so that men can really really understand a little bit what we go through. Everyday. Oh and for good times, throw in a day with a two year old after a sleep deprived night…