by Brandi Riley posted in Pregnancy

There was never a question about whether I would nurse my baby. Eight years ago when I had my first child, breastfeeding came naturally to me. Baby girl latched on quickly, and we experienced 19 blissful, milk-filled months of nursing.
I had a feeling things would be different this go 'round. I'm quite a bit older, and I know that each child is different. Before my son even came into the world, I started going through the 5 stages of learning to breastfeed.

Stage 1 - Apprehension
Before I started breastfeeding, I started planning for breastfeeding. Stage 1 is where most of the nursing research happens. Reading about cracked nipples, tied tongues, and babies who won't latch can make a gal feel super nervous about the responsibility of feeding a baby. The best way to get through this stage is to trust that you've learned all that you can, and try to relax before the baby arrives. Stage 2 - Anxiety
Once you actually start nursing the baby, the anxiety starts to creep in. I was worried that my baby wasn't getting enough milk, and that he was nursing too often. My nipples weren't used to having a hungry infant on them, so they were sore and that made me nervous about putting him on. I had so many concerns that I called the doctor's answering service and lactation counselor several times during his first week of life. They were used to it. Keep a lactation counselor on speed dial during this stage. You'll need it.

Stage 3 - Determination...