Do you sometimes lack joy? Plus the #1 reason women stop breastfeeding before their goal and what to do about it.

Hi Reader!

Do you sometimes lack joy?

I was at women's event at my church a few years ago praying about how I had been lacking joy lately.

My kids were 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1. Instead of delighting in them and the excited way they see the world, I was irritated and short with them. I couldn't pinpoint the cause of my persistently grumpy mood. I asked God to help me and to gift me the grace to grow in joy. One part of the weekend had us opening up our Bible to find any verse we wanted. I opened randomly to:

I flipped randomly again to:

and once more, randomly flipped, this time to the Old Testament to find:

I felt heard and uplifted. Our God is a living God who loves us intimately. He is not far away! He wants to be close to you and walk with you.

What is joy anyway?

​Chris Stefanick has been on a mission lately to talk about joy. In his book Living Joy, he says

You were created for joy, Reader!

AND if we're going to spread the Gospel (which God commanded) we have to have joy or no one will listen to us. So, finding joy isn't just for ourselves and it's not optional.
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We find joy, sorrow, and messiness all meshed together.

I know first hand how joy, sorrow, messiness, and everything else are all woven together at the same time. Of course a lot of that comes with motherhood. Little kids, big kids... they're awesome but they are hard, too.

Also, our son, Augustine, died suddenly at 18 months after a choking incident. There was, and is, a lot of sorrow. But there is also peace and joy! In our time of immense need, we sought God and allowed him to be so close to us.

Jesus died and rose to save us. So we can live with him in Heaven. And our family has a saint in Heaven! Our Gus is more alive than we are!

So, yes, joy, sorrow, messiness... it's all woven together in this life on earth.

I want you to find the life giving joy that can come in motherhood.

Breastfeeding has been such a source of joy for me. There are, of course, numerous health benefits. There are also immeasurable benefits regarding your relationship to your baby! Spending so much time in close contact not only affects your brain and hormones but allows you to capture a million interactions. Smiles, laughs, goofiness. It's so beautiful.

How can you get the joyful bonding of breastfeeding?

The #1 reason moms stop breastfeeding before they want to is due to nipple pain so let's talk about that.

Nipple pain in the beginning of breastfeeding is very common but it is not considered normal. Pain is your body's way of telling you something is off. Don't freak out but don't ignore it either.

The most common cause of nipple pain is a shallow latch. Global Health Media makes an incredible video about latching. I highly recommend watching it. (Scroll down on the page to the video.)

How to obtain a deep latch

💦 Start skin to skin.

💦 Place baby nose to nipple, tummy to tummy, with his ears/shoulder/hips lined up.

💦 Wait for a big open mouth before latching him. When he opens wide, move him nice and close.

💦 If the latch is shallow, try again. Be patient. It can take many latches for him to learn at first. Latching deeply will get easier and soon he'll latch deeply on the first try.

How to treat your nipple pain

If you already have nipple pain, it will go away with consistent deep latches, but while you're waiting for that to happen, after breastfeedings:

💦 Hand express a drop of milk onto your nipples to help heal any breakdown of the skin.

💦 Then, gently cover your nipple with a nipple balm. This one is my favorite. Toward the end of this article, she talks about the benefits of each of the ingredients included in the balm. I can tell you, I felt immediate relief when I used it!

💦 After, place a cool compress on your breasts. (The small, circular ice packs work great for sticking in your bra. Later, they work well when kids get hurt.)

If your nipple pain is getting worse or not getting better, be sure to reach out to your friendly, local lactation consultant. If she's not friendly, find a new one! 😉

Check out these articles for more details on latching deeply and treating nipple or breast pain. Or here for a latch checklist.

Thanks for following along! Stay turned for more helpful tips on motherhood and breastfeeding next week.

Or, if you're ready for more now, my class is enrolling! You can also gift the class to an expecting mama you love.

​Learn how to breastfeed, save thousands of dollars by avoiding formula and bring joy to your motherhood. All protected by my worry-free guarantee that completely returns your money if this class doesn't help you.​

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Cheers Mama,

Jill

Find more joyful encouragement for your motherhood at BreezyBreastfeeding.com.🪁