By: Founder, Garrett Kusmierz

My first “mom friend” gave me some words of wisdom when I was 35 weeks pregnant. In what felt like a cryptic message, she said:

“Our breasts are like ancient technology, and you’re going to have to learn how to use the technology soon—start now if you can.”

I sat with that DM, unsure of what to do next. Her message left me feeling like I had been given a secret that I didn't know how to use. I had never breastfed and knew little about it. Even opening the breast pump I’d ordered through insurance felt daunting. 

As I sit here writing this today, two years postpartum with 10 months of breastfeeding experience, I completely understand what she meant—and to me, it all comes down to the nipples. If I could go back in time, here’s what I would do.

I’d have connected with my nipples—before I needed them.

For most women, our nipples are not only incredibly sensitive and thought of as sexual, but it’s rare that we give them any non-sexual TLC. We spend months rubbing oil on our bellies, but not communing with the “ancient technology” of the breast, nor getting to know the nipple.

Most women notice the wild nipple changes, but do nothing to foster connection with that part of the body. Here’s why you need to start, today:

1. Touch them now—because you’ll be touching and analyzing them a lot very soon when “the pressure is on,” and you’ll want to have a comfort level with accessing this part of your anatomy.
2. Oxytocin Flow: We know that nipple massage can boost oxytocin. Oxytocin helps us have a healthy pregnancy, so there’s some real-time motivation to get it flowing! Massage and connect with your nipples to begin releasing that blissful drip, while building comfort with your own body parts.
3. Reduce shame and embarrassment by communing with them. I wanted to ignore my nipples until the moment I had to breastfeed with them. I was embarrassed by my newly darkened and enlarged areolas; I hated how gigantic they’d become (seemingly overnight), and I thought they’d never ever go back to how they used to be. I didn’t realize I was shaming myself. Not only that but I was shaming the part of myself that was about to be the MVP of my breastfeeding experience!

Before I knew it, I was not only rubbing nipple balm on that area and tending to initial wounds, but also having my mom, my husband, and my lactation consultant help place the nipple shield while I held the baby in preparation for the perfect latch that was NOT intuitive. Had I fostered a deep connection with this part of my body prior to when I needed it, I believe the entire entrance to using this ancient technology would have been much less confronting.

So I hereby pass on the wisdom of the ancient technology to you, Supermama <3

With love,

Garrett