1. Inaccurate and weird information that pops up in columns like this one: 9 Things Moms Hate Most About Breastfeeding. “Constant pain”? “There’s never enough milk”? Oy.
2. Relatives, friends, and strangers who ask things like, “Are you STILL breastfeeding?” and “Isn’t it time you tried a bottle?” This is especially annoying when breastfeeding did not get off to a good start.
3. Doctors and other care providers insisting that breastmilk doesn’t have nutrition after a certain amount of time. It may not provide all of the nutrition a child needs past six months, but it doesn’t magically turn to water, either.
4. People who get their panties (or boxers) in a bunch over nursing in public. No, it is not like peeing or having sex in public. It is feeding a baby. Really. Get over it.
5. Inconsistent information—it’s really hard to figure out who is giving out the best advice, let alone which advice will work for your family. If you have some spare time and sanity to kill, Google a simple phrase like “nutrition during breastfeeding” and look at how every.single.website tells you something different. To make things even more complicated, you can’t always trust every breastfeeding “expert,” since not everyone is sharing up-to-date, evidence-based information.
6. Being told (incorrectly) that they can’t do a whole lot of things they actually can do, like drink alcohol, take certain medications, or eat certain things.
7. Having everyone blame everything on breastmilk or breastfeeding. Is your baby waking a lot at night? Oh, it’s because you’re nursing. Is your baby gassy or spitting up? Oh, it must be your breastmilk.
8. Sleepless nights. Oh, wait. This happens because of parenting, not breastfeeding.
9. Having breastfeeding boiled down into lists that are hardly all-encompassing and often get it wrong. (This one excluded… right?)
