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Becoming a mother has to be one of life’s greatest experiences.
The ability to give birth to a mini-version of you and your partner, the result of a love shared between two people, is a gift beyond imagining.
But often motherhood is depicted as unrealistically idyllic, which is not quite the reality for many first-time moms who are often left longing for a break.
While some mothers may feel ashamed for not completely delving into the joys of motherhood, one woman boldly spoke out about her painful experience.
Angela Burzo, a photographer, took to Instagram to share a powerful post about how agonising she finds breastfeeding.
“I love seeing all these beautiful women, in their beautiful nursing clothes, smiling down at their babes as they lovingly look up back at them, hand-in-hand while breastfeeding away,” she began.
“That is not my reality – right now that is.
“This is real and as much as I want to stay strong and be the soldier I feel I can be, I cannot hide the struggle that is breastfeeding.”
Angela admitted her worries range from hoping that her baby daughter, Aylee, latches on correctly, to whether her nipples are satisfactory.
“Whether she is not latching on properly, whether I am not producing enough milk to keep up with her demand, whether my nipples might not be adequate, whether we confused her with having to give her a bottle after pumping... Whatever it may be, it has been an emotional & painful struggle.”
She ended the post with the stark words: “This photo depicts my reality of this breastfeeding journey so far. That first latch and the pain I endure.
“Keeping it real.”
The wife and mom-of-two’s Instagram admission resonated with many and received more than 7500 ‘likes’.
“What motivated me to share my breastfeeding experience on Instagram was the fact that society portrays this experience as one that is natural and one that everyone can do,” Angela told British news site, Metro.co.uk.
“Nobody ever tells you the truth or reality of what you actually have to go through to even attempt to experience such a bond between mother and child.
“I am a documenter,” the photographer further explained.
“I like to document my life for my kids and myself to look back on. And in that moment, while I was breastfeeding my daughter and going through the pain and emotions, I felt that needed to be documented because it was real. It wasn’t staged at all.”
Sources: metro.co.uk, thesun.co.uk
