Soaked in Breast Milk

by Pauline

I wanted to share my absolute worst breastfeeding memory. I laugh at it now, but then...

My baby was only five weeks old and we were invited to my aunt for dinner. Our daughter was still quite fussy in the evening, but we went anyway.

During a large part of the dinner, I and my husband had to take turn and try to soothe our baby; she was not at all in the mood for a party! I tried breastfeeding her sitting on the couch next the dinner table, but she refused and just cried.

Finally I gave up and asked my aunt if I could use her bedroom. I went there and lay down with my baby, hoping that she would nurse and fall asleep. I was feeling quite miserable and sweaty, wearing a way too warm sweater on top o fmy nursing top. When I was lying there I realized that I had forgotten to take the sweater off, so I got warmer and warmer - really longing for a shower in my own bath room, rather than for a dinner with relatives!

Well, my daughter finally fell a sleep. Great relief! I had almost also fallen asleep; sweaty, the mascara way down my cheeks and with very tousled hair. NOT in the mood to go out to all those nicely dressed people!

Well, I figured I had to! I sat up and suddenly felt something warm running over my stomach. Breast milk!

With our first daughter I (for some reason...) used plastic milk cups on the other breast while nursing, to collect breast milk. (I used it instead of just double nursing pads and then threw the milk away, stupid!) When I sat up, I accidentally spilled all the milk in the cups over myself.

So there I was, exhausted, sweaty, with tangled hair and ruined make up - AND - completely soaked in breast milk! All I could do was to pull down my sweater over my very wet nuring top, put on a smile, go out to join the dinner party and hope that I didn't smell too bad.

At that point I decided to not leave my house again until I had weaned my baby from breastfeeding.

(I didn't hold that promise, though...)