by Mary Jessica Hammes
August 06, 2010

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week 2010, we asked mothers to talk about their breastfeeding experiences—the hard parts, the best parts, surprising parts, even what it’s like to breastfeed in public. We discovered some universal truths.

How did you overcome any breastfeeding difficulties?
“One of the things that I found really helpful was a video. I was in the hospital at the time and they suggested I watch it before going home. It was pretty naff but it had a good mix of people talking, demonstrating, and graphics that showed how the nipple fits into the baby’s mouth…The second thing that helped was time.”  —Kirstin, mom to Rata, 16 months (breastfed for 13 months), Dunedin, New Zealand

“It was really challenging for me to adjust to the selflessness that came with breastfeeding. I felt really overwhelmed at first with the frequency of nursing…With Koen, it was as if I forgot what it was like to nurse a newborn…In the end, I laid down to feed him. We nursed like that for a month, all sprawled out on the bed.”  —Leigh, mom to Griffin, 5 (breastfed for 8 months) and Koen, 15 months (still breastfeeding), Athens, Georgia

“When my first daughter was born, I was 25 and overwhelmed…Bela was born a month early via c-section [due to pre-eclampsia]—she wasn’t breathing at birth and had to be resuscitated, and she had to spend some time in the NICU…I wanted desperately to breastfeed, but I was exhausted and confused and not given the support I needed in order to successfully establish a breastfeeding relationship. I never even saw a lactation consultant in the hospital—I think one called me a few days after I got home to check up, but that was it. I spent maybe a week constantly attached to a breast pump, but no milk came in, so I stopped trying. I felt guilty for years because of this…My second pregnancy was mostly healthy, though I did become pre-eclamptic in my last few weeks, and my second daughter was born via c-section and also had to spend a week in the NICU. This time, though, I requested a lactation consultant immediately, refused to allow formula to be fed to her in the NICU, familiarized myself with galactogogues, and surrounded myself with knowledgeable friends who had breastfed their children. Thankfully, Ramona took to breastfeeding right away, and we’ve been nursing with only minimal issues for 17 months.”  —Traci, mom to Bela, 8, and Ramona, 17 months (still breastfeeding), Macon, Georgia

“Aaron was born after a long labor and c-section. I felt like I had just been through the biggest ordeal of my life and wasn’t up to breastfeeding much in the hospital…When I got home five days later, he would no longer nurse. My mom called a lactation consultant and on her recommendation I got a pump to keep my supply up. I started using a nipple shield to transition him back to the breast. It took a few weeks, but it worked.”  —Jessica, mom to Aaron, 5 (breastfed for 15 months) and Lydia, 2 (breastfed for 10 months), Athens, Georgia

“[Maddie] was doing great, but I got a terrible infection that landed me in septic in the ER, and ultimately in the ICU for almost a week. Even though I wasn’t extremely lucid when they admitted me, I did tell the nurses I wanted a breast pump so I would be able to nurse when I was finished. They brought me a manual pump, and having 2 IVs in each arm, it was impossible to do myself, so either my husband or a nurse did it for me. Finally, the next day when I was more together, I asked for an electric pump. A lactation consultant came up with it and helped me and checked on me every day of my stay in the hospital. I had to pump and dump because I was toxic and I had so many different meds in my system, but after pumping for a few weeks we were able to start nursing again, and she didn’t stop until she was 3.”  —Genevieve, mom to Sean, 9 (breastfed for 15 months), Grace, 7 (breastfed for 23 months) and Madeline, 4 (breastfed for 3 years), Pasadena, California

“First, we had a difficult time getting [Thomas] to latch…(and) when he was 6 weeks old, he had a bloody dirty diaper. What we learned was that he had some type of food sensitivity. My pediatrician gave me two choices: formula, or strict diet. I chose the diet…Fortunately, his diapers got relatively normal and he never had a bloody one again. Even after going back to work when he was 12 weeks old, I was able to give him only breast milk until he was 8 months old. My pediatrician was a huge help in encouraging me to continue breastfeeding, but my husband was too, especially because he didn’t pressure me about it.”  —Jennifer, mom to Thomas, 3 (breastfed for 1 year) and Ella, 16 months (breastfed for 1 year), Athens, Georgia

“[With Patrick], left-side feeding was always more of a struggle for us, and since it was always that side, I felt like that it was probably due to an improper hold on my part…I was very lopsided for around a month. During this time I also suffered from cracked nipples and a mild case of mastitis, and at the recommendation of the lactation specialist at the hospital, I used a little lanolin and a lot of patience. Eventually we nursed through the lopsided-ness and the pain and the whole process became very easy. Then he reached six months, and all of a sudden breastfeeding was hard again…I made the switch [from breast milk to formula] cold turkey and never nursed him again. He [transitioned] fine, but the hardest thing for me was thinking about how I never knew my last time nursing him was actually my last time, and I didn’t cherish the final days the way I should have.”  —Becky, mom to Patrick, 7 (breastfed for 6 months) and Ben, 4 (breastfed for 6 months), Rome, Georgia

“When I went back to work, the day care workers couldn’t get Jessa to accept a bottle. That was probably the hardest thing we dealt with. I would pump on my breaks every day, and she’d only drink an ounce or two at a feeding. We tried several different styles of bottles, but she just refused. I ended up visiting day care on my lunch break to nurse her, and she would nurse like crazy in the evenings when we came home.”  —Rhiannon, mom to Jessa, 5 (breastfed for 28 months), Athens, Georgia

What surprised you most about breastfeeding?
“I think the thing that surprised me the most was I really enjoyed it. I remember thinking, ‘I’ll breastfeed for three months and stop.’ But I really enjoyed it and carried on for 10 months.”  —Keri, mom to Sylvia, 3 (breastfed for 10 months), London, England

“What has surprised me the most about breastfeeding is how challenging it seems at the beginning yet how intuitive it becomes as you progress…I never imagined at the beginning of both of my breastfeeding journeys with my sons that we would get to such a lovely rhythm together. A bumpy start doesn’t mean that it will always be that way.”  —Leigh

“The most surprising part of breastfeeding was that Elin was eating for such a long time! In the beginning I was sitting with her for 45 minutes to an hour. And it actually felt like she was eating the whole time. This gave me a lot of time for reading books, though.”  —HannaSofie, mom to Elin, 9 months old (still breastfeeding), Kungsbacka, Sweden

“I was surprised at how special it would be. Although at 3 in the morning it was tough sometimes, I cherished it.”  —Genevieve

“How painful and traumatic I found it at first, but how quickly that turned around when I overcame my difficulties.”  —Yvonne, mom to Maeve, 15 months (still breastfeeding), Dunedin, New Zealand

“I think what surprised me the most about breastfeeding was how easy it really was. I always had plenty of milk for her and everything was really laid-back. I went back to work full-time when she was 7 weeks old. I pumped twice daily and it worked out perfectly. She never had a drop of formula, and I’m very proud of that.”  —Jill, mom to Iris, 3 (still breastfeeding “here and there”), Madison, Wisconsin

“Actually, I’m kind of surprised by how easy it’s been. It’s a lot more convenient than using a bottle and certainly more convenient than formula, especially in the middle of the night.”  —Hillary, mom to Briony, 2 months (still breastfeeding), Athens, Georgia

“I was really surprised about the level of leakage. I knew it would happen, but I wasn’t expecting to feel wet all the time. It took months before I could go without pads in my bras.”  —Rhiannon