My little one is completely hooked on breastfeeding. She loves it so much that she flat-out refuses to take a bottle, even when it’s filled with my milk. We’re talking full-on meltdowns and a complete feeding strike whenever anyone tries to offer her anything other than the real deal—my breast.
My partner, Mark, struggles to comprehend why her dependency on me is so overwhelming. But how could he not? I’m walking around in a haze of fatigue, fueled only by caffeine. I feel somewhat… trapped, as if even a quick trip to the store is impossible without a wave of guilt washing over me. What if she gets hungry while I’m gone? What if she’s inconsolable?
While I can chuckle at how my once modest B cups have become the center of my universe, the exhaustion is no joke. Breastfeeding is indeed a beautiful experience, but perhaps not at 4 a.m. during our third wake-up call of the night. Mark keeps saying he’ll help get her to take a bottle, but progress has been slow. And when he casually remarks on my sleepless nights with one of these comments, I can’t help but want to throw a pillow at him:
- “I’m so tired.” Really? Because you had a solid eight hours of sleep on the couch while I was up with the baby.
- “She only woke up twice? That’s not too bad!” Unless you were the one taking care of her, which you definitely weren’t.
- “Maybe you should just let her cry it out next time.” Oh, fantastic idea! Because nothing screams calm like a wide-awake baby and a cranky toddler both wailing at midnight.
- “I totally understand.” Nope, you don’t get it. How do I know? You don’t have breasts, which means you’ve never spent an entire night with our little ones.
- “Just cut her off. She doesn’t need to eat for half an hour.” Right, I’ll just have a chat with her about that before we all magically drift back to sleep.
- “Thanks for the update.” He really said this at 5 a.m. when I woke him up in tears because the baby had been up every two hours. Oh, and yes, my patience was wearing thin.
- “She just needs to learn how to take a bottle.” Absolutely, she does. So when exactly are you planning to step in and help with that?
I simply can’t handle it anymore.
What’s the most annoying thing your partner has said after a long night of nursing?
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In summary, navigating sleepless nights and breastfeeding challenges can be tough, especially when faced with insensitive comments from our partners. Understanding and support during these trying times are crucial for both parents.