From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to breastfeed my baby. I went to a breastfeeding seminar to prepare, but you can never be prepared enough for what you are about to experience. 

I had my baby and the first night they brought her to me, I guess they thought she latched properly. The next morning, both my nipples were purple, black and blue!! I finally got to see the Lactation Specialist and I asked her if she could bring me a nipple shield. She was surprised I knew to ask for that but I told her about the seminar I attended. She quickly brought me one and it helped me a lot! Don’t get me wrong, it still hurt like hell but it was better than the pain of not using it! 

I’ve read articles that say breastfeeding will hurt for the first 2 weeks. I thought, “Ok, I can handle that”. After coming home from the hospital and continuing the breastfeeding, I noticed the pain never went away.  I also started feeling guilty using the nipple shield.  I signed up for a website that I could get advice from other Mothers. I got emails that stemmed from “keep using the nipple shield” to “get rid of the nipple shield and get your baby on your breast”.