Before I had kids, I thought that breastfeeding was the most natural thing in the world and that it was something that mothers just instantly knew how to do perfectly once the baby was born. I would sit with my calm, little cherubic pink baby at breast, marveling at myself, at the very thought of feeding my precious little one from my own wonderful breastmilk. What a wonderful natural and serene breastfeeding goddess I would be-of that I was sure.
That was one of the first of many, many things I was completely wrong about when I became a parent. Thinking I would be able to learn how to play the guitar and learn Spanish on my first maternity leave were some of the other things I cannot believe I thought I could do while taking care of a baby.It somehow completely did not compute that “taking care of the newborn” was pretty much the only thing I would be doing, or could be possibly doing 24/7. I had no concept of how a precious, tiny little newborn could wipe out two newby parents so easily and for so many weeks and no clue how hard, physically and emotionally draining breastfeeding could be.
