i have a serious phobia about breastfeeding. even tho i know in my head its natural, i can wrap my head around my baby being attached to my boob... something that is normally used for... well, other non-baby issues...which prolly lead to baby. but anyway... how do i get over this? i want very much to breastfeed because of the antibodies. i plan on pumping but, i know it would be way easier if i did both. am i just crazy or has anyone else had the same kind of apprehension sometime????
 

I don't think breastfeeding is as "natural"-feeling as some people would like you to think. I breastfed my first for 9 months (only weaned cause I have to for ttc) and 6 months for the other one (cause he never could learn not to bite me with the teeth he got early).
Some ladies on here will tell you that bf'ing was a snap, and that it was the easiest thing they ever did. Some can breastfeed with their baby in a sling, while walking around, while vaccuuming, while eating dinner. NOT ME. Breastfeeding was a whole-body job where I had to be focused on exactly what I was doing.
However, and this is a big however, once your baby is born and laying on your chest, and starts rooting around looking for the breast.... your natural instinct (or at least mine) was to try and put him on. Once we learned how to do it (BOTH you and baby will have to learn) it was very natural-feeling, and I was so proud of us that we were able to do it. My favorite time of day was those lazy mornings where I (HORRORS) would put them in bed with me and nurse while we both napped off and on. I cried both times when I weaned off that last feeding. It was an incredible bonding experience and forced me to sit down and relax. As far as your breasts being used for other stuff before-- once your milk comes in, that will be the furthest thing from your mind. You'll feel like a walking milk-machine. When the baby was young, I would say in the middle of the night "MOO!! Here comes Bessie the cow for the next feeding."

I highly, highly recommend a breastfeeding class. I did want to giggle a little while we watched ppl from 1982 breastfeeding, but I learned a LOT. I thought that you just put baby up there and he/she figured it out. Not so. It felt way more "natural" seeing other moms with the same concerns and fears as I did.

Breastfeeding is one decision you won't regret, and I promise that once you get the hang of it, it *will* feel natural. Give it 6 weeks.
 

I never felt that phobia but I know of ppl who have. I was one that was so scared that I would not be able to do it because everyone I knew had told me it was really hard. and it is a lot of work at first because most newborns want to nurse constantly. but it is a great bonding experience and I don’t know if it’s all the hormones that come after having a baby or something else but something happens that makes your bond so much stronger and also makes you not want to even think about any baby making or other sexual things! At least for everyone I know, they lost most if not all sexual desire for a while after have a baby. Even the ones who don’t breastfeed.

I don’t really know how to get over the phobia but maybe if you tell yourself that your going to give it a try for a certain amount of time (maybe 4 to 6 weeks) and then if it doesn’t feel right then you can switch to formula. and that way you don’t have to be scared because you will know that you can stop if your not comfortable.
I was always uncomfortable doing it in front of others but I would either go to another room or just cover up and that helped. And once me and the baby were both pros at it I was more comfortable and only went in the other room If my husbands guy friends were over and I did not feel like covering up.

Thanks guys!!! you have no idea how much you guys actually helped. I just feel freaked out about having a baby hooked to my boob lol when it was daddy being hooked to my boob that lead to baby!!!! im just an oddball i guess lol! but again, thank you and i will try, and if it doesnt feel right, or it just doesnt work, then i will be pumping and formula...

Well being an OB nurse I have no patience to actually help the patients breastfeed, I hate it... it is so time consuming and I'm a very impatient person anyway. I had to intensions of breastfeeding Avery, I was going to pump and give her the EBM in bottles.... well I decided I'd just go ahead and nurse her in the hospital and fell in love with it... it was so naturally easy for me, she was the "perfect" little breastfeeder as we call them at work, she never had nipple confusion or anything.... Some people are not nearly as lucky as I was though... I would say to give it a shot if you want to any at all.... It's definatly not as bad as I thought! It's a great feeling to know you're their lifeline still too... and the bonding is amazing!