Perhaps I should start another thread, but these comments raise an issue I’ve been thinking a lot about lately:
My nips are very, *very *sensitive, and while I’ve never had an orgasm from stimulating them alone, I’ve certainly come close. I’m also pregnant, and have been feeling more and more apprehensive about breastfeeding. I’m totally freaked out about feeling any kind of arousal from it, let alone orgasm. If it were someone else asking my advice, I’d say, “Look, it’s perfectly understandable that you might find those sensations arousing. That doesn’t make you a freak or a pedophile. Just do what you’d do if you became aroused at work or in some other non-sexual situation: focus on the matter at hand, and deal with the sexual feelings later, if need be.”
And that’s all well and good. But. My father was sexually abusive, and while I have somehow managed to develop a happy, healthy sex life as an adult, I have an *extremely *strong visceral reaction to even the suggestion of arousal in a situation when children are involved. If I were to feel anything even remotely sexual or arousing while breastfeeding, I’m pretty sure I’d vomit on the spot. And I wouldn’t be able to attempt it ever again. Not only that, but I probably wouldn’t let my husband touch my nipples during sex anymore, either - I’d feel too guilty that I’d let those sensations prevent me from feeding my baby. As it is, I’m too nervous about this issue to enjoy it now. Just the other day, husband was giving my nipples some attention, and I was really into it, until “breastfeeding” popped into my head. I started crying and dry-heaving. But I feel like I have to at least give breastfeeding a shot, because my guilt will be worse if I don’t even try.
To be clear, I *want *to breastfeed. Until I made the “hey, won’t that feel like sex?” connection, it was something I was really looking forward to. I know it doesn’t work for everyone, for any number of reasons, and if I can’t, I’ll deal, but I’ll be bummed. If it’s this that keeps me from doing it, though… I’ll be angry, sad, and disgusted with myself. I can’t see it not being a huge deal.
So - any thoughts? Advice? Am I worrying over nothing, or is there really any chance that I’ll find it arousing? And if so, how do I handle it?