The art of breast feeding

I curiously scanned Amani’s mouth when she yawned, just in case I’d missed to see the teeth that magically appeared at feeding time. I could have sworn there were teeth in there somewhere – but all I saw was her cute pink toothless gums. In the first week my nipples were extremely sore, things got steadily worse when I begun to sense what felt like sand paper when she suckled. She yawned again and there it was - a pink little tongue, I wondered how that thing could do so much damage. Like the bible says, the tongue is a small part of the body but it makes great boasts – it’s tiny but my! The things it can do. Breastfeeding became complicated. I stuck with it nevertheless; this is the most expensive, nutritious food Amani could ever eat, quite apart from the fact that we need to bond, she builds antibodies, it strengthens her stomach walls and helps my uterus contract.


Week one
We are first timers, am trying to recall the feeding tactics and all she knows is to suck and suck she does with all her might. The muscles in a baby’s mouth should never be taken for granted. There were times I imagined she could dangle from my breast just with the suction pressure inside that tiny mouth. It was absolute survival and I was sore.

Week two
We are getting a hang of things, milk production has increased and she is feeding longer. She knows where the food comes from and latches on with a firm grip when it comes anywhere near her mouth. Just like a frog slurping a fly, she does it swiftly and holds on for a few seconds before she starts to suckle as if to ascertain it’s all hers and no one is messing with it. She keeps her eyes shut and slowly opens one eye to check that the coast is clear then she relaxes and feeds away. The soreness is slowly fading.

Week three
We are both pros, she stimulates the milk letdown with her lips and moistens the nipple with her saliva, so that by the time she begins to suckle, its easy going for both of us. I’m not sore anymore.

Week four
What do you know?!, she is a month old already.
It’s interesting how God meticulously calculated this art to the very last detail. Human beings are awesome creatures.

I hope I haven’t grossed you out with all these details, IT’S LIFE! And that is all I will say.