9 things only a mum who's breastfed will understand.

There are some things you just don’t get until you’ve had a little person sucking the very life out of you…

The first few months of your newborn’s life are a blur. A crazy mixed-up time filled with experiences you never thought would happen. You find yourself thinking thoughts you never imagined would enter your head, and morphing into a person you never would have believed existed.

Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, no one really judges you. That’s your decision and there is no doubt you are doing the very best you can.

But if you are in the midst of breastfeeding then life will be throwing challenges at you like never before.

It is a sweet, entrancing, bewitching time of life. Live it. Love it and embrace it because things will never be this unbelievably difficult or amazingly glorious again. These are the 9 things that only mums who have breastfed will understand:

1. Moments of public embarrassment become commonplace.

These moments will happen often. Like when you’re following the checkout operator’s eyes at the supermarket and realise you’ve been walking around the aisles with your top undone for the last half an hour. Or when you catch sight of the embarrassed darting eyes of a room full of male colleagues, who are trying to stare at anything but the milk slowly dripping from your boobs onto the boardroom table.

2. You get used to flashing complete strangers.

Has anyone ever thought about how ridiculously difficult it is to position those peekaboo coverup thingies without flashing your boobs at everyone in the coffee shop? Yet you don’t care because you haven’t slept for 48 hours, you are bloody hungry and you are just trying to feed a baby, for Christ’s sake.

3. You become a master of illusion.

You can make unsightly stains disappear by becoming apt in the incredibly necessary skill of folding your arms strategically over a spreading milk stain, while carrying your shopping and pushing a pram.

4. And very resourceful.

You can fashion any absorbent substance into a breast pad in times of emergency. This will happen MANY times.

5. You become immune to things that disgust others.

Googling images of baby poo becomes something you don’t think twice about any more.

6. You have access to baby products that you’ve never even thought of using

An entire industry has been built out of selling breastfeeding paraphernalia from teas to cushions to clothing, half of which you will never ever need.

7. You fall asleep at the worst times, then feel guilty about it.

Like when you fall asleep during a feed and wake up with the heavy dozy feeling of a milk-drunk baby fast asleep still in your arms. You then feel bad about it and fear of what might have happened while you both slept.

8. One word: Multitasking

You can successfully breastfeed while preparing a toddler’s bottle, pushing a swing or answering the front door to a couple of backpackers selling milk deliveries.

9. You know that all mums are doing the best that they can

All mums, whether breastfeeding, bottle feeding or a mix of both are doing the very very best that they can. In this crazy, judgemental world of mothering we exist in, the very best thing we can do is just support each other and be there to help other mums as much as we possibly can.

Like this? Try these:

The 7 things only the mothers of boys will understand.

The things only parents of toddlers will understand. 

CLICK THROUGH these gorgeous pics of breastfeeding mums.