Breastfeed, they say. It will be easy, they say. Oh how "they" lie. After nursing three children exclusively for six months and off and on after that for years, I can say unequivocally: there is NOTHING "easy" about breastfeeding.
This is not to say it's not a worthy endeavor. It is. So much so. But it can also be a long hard slog, especially in the early months, and it never fully gets easier. To be 100 percent responsible for the nourishment and growth of another person is both an awesome and overwhelming responsibility, and that's to say nothing of the pitfalls -- mastitis, nipple scabs, engorgement, TEETH.
Now that I am three kids deep and five months into my last nursling's exclusive nursing phase, I can say I have learned a few things along the way. So what does a new mom need for her nursing survival kit? Here are the basics:
What was your must-have for nursing?
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