I dont enjoy breastfeeding

I dont hate it, but I am not exactly enjoying it either. My nipples are constantly sore, my boobs ache, I cringe every time I put DD to the breast. Hugging DH or DD1 or even wrapping a bath towel around myself is now uncomfortable. I cant feed in any other position but the football hold, and its awkward in public. I feel house bound and tied to the baby.

Then I read stories on here of ladies expressing for months on end and thankfully I dont have any issues like that. Really I should be glad, but I just dont like it.

That being said I am forcing myself to continue on, she is gaining weight and is a content little girl. I just wish I could like it.

One plus, I finally have a decent set of boobs that look absolutely fantastic in bathers hehe

TBH i dont particually enjoy it either but here i am 12months on lol. Dont get me wrong i love the snuggles and sometimes how boob fixes all, but yeah its not something i would say i "enjoy"

Hopefully with time your wont have to feed with the football hold :)

P.S our DD1's are born on the same day and same year :)

lol @ Boob bathers!

It isn't always fun though. I totally get that. there were times, weeks sometimes, where I totally hated BF. It was annoying and inconvenient sometimes, and it was 46 degree the first 3 months DD Was alive, so super sticky and horrible.

I can promise you though the icky boob feeling - the aching, the random shootig pains, the heavy and stretched feeling... it does go away and it does settle down as your supply settles down and bubs eases off a bit. Once she his the efficient feeder stride, it does get better. Your boobs will be totally touchable again soon... Even if your nipples stay precious for a little longer, they will get there too.

Have a try using the hot/cold compress rotation and see if it eases the discomfort a bit, and once DD is a bit bigger you will be able to feed in different positions.
:hug:

You aren't alone many women don't like it (and never do) and that is ok, so hang in there. x :hug:

there were many times when i really didn't like breastfeeding too so i can relate i reckon at least once a fortnight i thought "i'm done" but for some reason i kept going (glad i did too). I struggled to feed in other position than the football hold too for a while but at about the 9 or t10 week mark, i tried again with cradle hold and we got there!

You're doing a great job good luck xxxx and remember we're always here for encouragement if you need/want it.

Thanks so much girls, been feeling like the most un-natural mother!! I am hanging in there for baby.

Minny thats pretty cool that we have DD's born the same day!!! :)

Limeslice - My DH's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw me in my bathers lol. Must say mine just about did too, could not believe it hehehe

Thanks KimmyF :)

:hug: babe, just wanted to offer some support too. I know the feeling all to well.
With DD I just aimed for 'just one more day' and like Limey said, it did just get easier. I don't know how or even remember noticing, but it did. Once she gets more competent and your boobs aren't so full you'll be surprised how easy is is to learn a new position which I titally agree makes it much easier for 'public' feeding.

I didn't particularly enjoy it for the first couple of months either. But yep, it does get a lot easier and less uncomfortable!! Now I do enjoy it.

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I titally agree

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:rofl: Kim

Thumbs up and SO proud of you for sticking with it. That's supermum stuff :D

Get about in your bathers as much as you can. Clearly you were blessed with a summer baby for a reason, you yummy mummy you!

Everyone thinks I'm obsessed with BF coz I'm constantly preaching it, and always reiterate that I will bf for as long as DD likes, but in reality, I'm only doing it for her benefit, and I really do not enjoy having my nipples stretched and pinched and sometimes bitten. I don't enjoy maternity bras, and I don't enjoy the stickiness of our bodies so close together in Summer. I also would love to be able to go out without wondering if I should head home soon in case I leak all through my clothes.
You are not alone, it's all just part of being a mum! As it gets easier you will enjoy it a bit more, like the quiet, snuggly night ones.

yep take the perks when you can and flaunt em in your bathers hon....
it will get easier with time. you may never 'love' it - I enjoyed it more with DS1 than I did with DS2.... good on you for persevering!
remember, you prob think everyone else LOVES it - but it is more that those who do LOVE it (as opposed to feeling indifferent or not enjoying) talk about it a lot (on here and irl) and other people it is more just a part of parenthood...

I never really loved BF'ing either. I don't like the sensation. But yet i persisted for 18 months with both of them. I never hated it, but i never loved it. It was just something i did as i knew it was the best thing for my baby. You don't have to love it. Don't feel bad.

It will get easier, eventually you probably wont have to use football attachment, baby will feed lets and for less time and it will stop being uncomfortable, Good on you for continuing and being brave enough to post this thread!

I must admit too ome feeds I absolutely LOVED it, other times I was thinking hurryup so I could get up and do xyz lol

I think the only thing I loved about breastfeeding was that I was able to do it amidst so much negativity and doubt from others. I do love to prove people wrong! The actual sensation of breastfeeding I went from liking it, to hating it, and every feeling in between. It's ok not to love it, it really is.

oh hun, i'm hearin ya. the first few weeks of breastfeeding suuuuuuccckk!! at one stage, i remember sitting in the shower, tired, with massive boobs and a sore hoo-haa and thinking, nup... something has got to give.
but then one day you wake up and the pain is gone, you whack bubs on without even so much as batting an eyelid and everything is stupidly easy.

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I must admit too ome feeds I absolutely LOVED it, other times I was thinking hurryup so I could get up and do xyz lol

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couldn't agree more! like, you know... sleep!!

:hug:

You will, it's still only early days for you :hug: I found it so difficult at first we had so many problems and so much pain involved with EVERY feed for the first few weeks....it was hard. We also had to express and do top up feeds etc, it was exhausting. I was so jealous of those mum's that could just BF and not worry about expressing!!! After a while things became easier slowly and then one day I said "I am loving this!" and never looked back. Now that DD has stopped BF, I really miss that special BF bond we shared together.....you really do miss it once you've stopped, well I do ;)
Although another bub is now on it's way :)

TBH I hated ever darn minute. I really really really didn't want to BF DS2. The only way I managed it was, quite literally, one feed at a time. I just don't like it at all. I did manage 5.5 months with DS1 and 4.5 months with DS2.

So you're totally not alone. I get you. I really do.

Good luck!

Yep, hang in there. For however long you can - it'll be worth it, one day, one week, one month, one year, whatever you can do.

I still have a love/hate relationship with breastfeeding DS2. He's a biter, a kicker, he get's distracted ...i could go on. But he is healthy and content (and 12 months old now!) and somewhere along the way it got easier, and the convenience outweighs the frustration and 'dependency on me'.

I agree - the EE women have ALL my admiration too :)

Hang in there hun, I know exactly how you feel. Its feeling like a constant battle here too ATM but nothing has tipped me over the edge enough to force me to throw it in. And.....I know DD is getting huge benefits from it so I'm doing it mainly for her. It hurts, one boob is always playing up somehow, she's a pincher and just won't bleeping lie still during a feed. I'm sick of having to wear clothes I can get easy access with. Gah!

I'm a bit with Traveller too.....I like to prove the doubters in my life wrong too (and there are lots of them).

Go the bathers though!

:hug: I felt the same until DD was 12 weeks! I had SO many breastfeeding issues (severe nipple vasospasm being the worst) I loathed it most the time but when I was finally pain free, it was awesome :) I can't wait to BF again, when we have #2, I only hope it's a little easier next time.

You're not alone hon. I hope it gets easier soon

i hated it for the first month - it was so painful. but saw a lactation consultant that was really good and had it sorted within a week.. and as bubs has learned to attach better too its so much better. and for some reason, lying down on the bed with bubs beside me made a huge difference to the whole breastfeeding experience for me - as soon as i started doing that, both of us seemed to relax so much more. that lanisoh was a lifesaver in the first few weeks too..
oh traveller - i am totally with you on the proving others wrong thing - my MIL - every time she sees me she says ' oh he seems so much happier on the bottle, why dont you just bottle feed?'' (grr).

:hug: You now how it goes - mothering is hard work and not all of it is fun, but it's so worth it.
Well done to you for sticking with it anyway - that's great! It wil get easier as she gets older. Soon you won't be spending nearly as much time feeding and hopefully it will also get a lot more comfortable for you by then.
I do remember that feeling of dread that it was time to feed DS again - I didn't hate it or love it, I just did it because he needed feeding but it just hurt so much early on.

i really didnt 'love' it this time in the beginning with Marta. i had gotten a *lovely* bout of nipple thrush and she had oral thrush (PITA to get rid of) and then had 2 bouts of mastitis. her attachment was also really crapulent and after 8 weeks we finally found out that she had a posterior tongue tie. the LC at the RWH told us to get our bums to an osteopath and VOILA! our BF journey was transformed! her attachment improved and i began to love it again.

i cannot say how much i recommend seeing an Osteopath for BF. my midwife told me that she believes that all kids should see one after they are born 'cause let's face it alot of squishing and squashing goes on :)

:hug:

Ohhhhh my goodness thank you so much everyone!!! I honestly thought I was on my own on this one.

Traveller & Infinity - I also have one person in my life who has nothing but negative comments to say about breastfeeding and I really know what you mean about proving them wrong. I am so gonna do it!!!

MadB - Yep I get that feeling of dread. Not always, but often enough.

Cassius - Glad it worked out for you and M in the end. I know that E has the attachment right, because I can now feel the difference between a good and bad attachment and whip her straight off if she happens to attach badly. She mostly has a good attachment though. I think its just that my nipples/boobs are a bit sensitive from simply feeding so much.

I must make some more trips to the beach and pool to get the girls out while I've got them hehehehehehe!!!

Thanks again ladies, very glad not to feel alone on this. 100% hanging in there for baby.

oh yeah, i forgot to congratulate you on the girls :) I do like having boobs too (they're not much, but they're mine)

another one who wasn't a huge fan! well, i love the idea of BFing & i love the benefits it's giving my DS but it was a hard slog to get to a place where it was just something i didn't overthink or dread.

but you can & will get there - it really does settle down with regards to how demanding it feels on your emotions & also physically. i only fed football hold for about the first 9 months. i don't feed in public (absolutely nothing against it - love seeing other mums BFing in public, i just detest my boobs - but that's not a BFing thing :lol:) but we still got out & about. i found which parent's rooms had good feeding areas.

i'm just about to start weaning & DS is almost 19 months. actually, now i'm kind of sad to think it'll be coming to an end.

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another one who wasn't a huge fan! well, i love the idea of BFing & i love the benefits it's giving my DS but it was a hard slog to get to a place where it was just something i didn't overthink or dread.

but you can & will get there - it really does settle down with regards to how demanding it feels on your emotions & also physically. i only fed football hold for about the first 9 months. i don't feed in public (absolutely nothing against it - love seeing other mums BFing in public, i just detest my boobs - but that's not a BFing thing :lol:) but we still got out & about. i found which parent's rooms had good feeding areas.

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Wow Sloane, my thoughts and feelings exactly, even down to the feeding in public, I just couldnt do it.

I initially struggled so much with b/f as I didn't enjoy it, but it was something I was so determined to do, so I was often torn. I often thought there was something wrong with me as I kept reading about mothers that loved feeding, and the closeness it brought, but I just didnt feel that at all.

I think that some of us just aren't earth mothers, and there's nothing wrong with that.

x

Isadora, I am another that never really liked BF. I do it, but I have never understood how people love it. It just seems weird to me, having someone sucking on my boob! And all the time! I totally get you with being permanently attached to the baby. Mine have both been sooo clingy. I also don't understand the BF bond that people talk about, it seems that I missed out on that.

It will get easier and more comfortable with time and you may grow to really enjoy it. But if you never think it is fabulous then that is alright too.

Your totally normal ..... and thankfully that means I am too! Yes, I've struggled through many days when I just want to stop because it's just "ARGH!!!" and, dare I say it...:hide:...an inconvenience to me - why can't someone else do it?!! - popping a bottle in just seems so much easier. But I get through and then I get past it and feel quite proud of myself for sticking it out!

:hug: it gets easier, they get quicker, it hurts less, and it can become more enjoyable :)

be kind to yourself ...

Isadora I totally understand where you are coming from theres days I say to DH that thats it I'm going down and getting formula (I never do) And the way I have tricked myself into it is saying to myself I am burning more calories breastfeeding and its better for bub the only 2 things keeping me sticking to it...

Yet when DH gives her an expressed bottle I hate not feeding her go figure LOL!! It does get easier though I have found that now I am starting to not hate it anymore! Good on you for giving it a go xx