Breastfeeding: Tough Days, Tender Moments, and Everyday Beauty
Look at the baby’s lip. they are flanged perfectly.
When people talk about breastfeeding, it’s often painted in soft, dreamy pictures — a mother and baby curled up together, all peace and bonding. And while that’s a beautiful part of the story, it’s not the whole story. Breastfeeding is also tough. It’s messy. It can bring tears and frustration. But in the middle of all of that, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences of motherhood.
I know this because I’ve lived it.
With my first baby, breastfeeding was a nightmare. By the time he was ten days old, I had mastitis. My milk supply had dropped, and I found myself using bottles and formula — something I didn’t want, but at the time, it felt like I had no other choice.
I remember thinking: Anyone can bottle-feed my baby, but only I can breastfeed him. That thought is what kept me going. I didn’t give up, even through the tears and the exhaustion.
Eventually, a public health nurse showed up at my door with a breast pump and gentle hands that guided me through latching again. That moment changed everything. With her support, and with more perseverance than I knew I had in me, I slowly built my supply back up. At two months old, my baby took his last bottle of formula — and from then on, he nursed only at my breast. We went on together until he was 14 months old.
That one person who took the time to help me — to really see me — gave me the courage to keep going.
Breastfeeding my first taught me that it isn’t always simple or instinctive. Sometimes it takes help. Sometimes it takes grit. And sometimes it takes trying again when you’re ready to throw in the towel.
Since then, I’ve breastfed through yeast infections, open sores, bleeding nipples, and countless rounds of mastitis. One of those times, my breast turned purple, and I was on the verge of developing an abscess. I needed IV antibiotics every six hours at a hospital half an hour away — while trying to care for four children at home. It was brutal. And yet, I kept going.
I went on to breastfeed through pregnancy and even tandem feed my babies. And despite all the struggles, I am deeply thankful for those years of nourishing, comforting, and connecting with my children through breastfeeding.
Here’s what I want you to hear, mama:
Breastfeeding is natural, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy.
Needing help is not failure. It’s wisdom.
The hard days don’t erase the tender moments — they make them even more precious.
