My husband and I are trying to get pregnant. One thing terrifies me, though. I'm dead-set on breastfeeding because of the health benefits, but I'm worried because my breasts are very sensitive. My husband makes me orgasm just by sucking and massaging them. What if the action of a child sucking on them causes the same thing? I can't get past the thought that it would be some sort of sexual abuse to the child. Is there anything that I can do to desensitize them?

Lauren

Many women are extremely aroused when their breasts are fondled, but few who breastfeed have an orgasm while doing so. Still, the breasts are an erogenous zone, and many women derive a sensual pleasure from breastfeeding -- a feeling of completion and satisfaction that may be related to the feelings associated with sex, but that is different at the same time. Sexual arousal also has a whole lot to do with context; the intimacy you share with your husband is much more likely to be arousing than is similar breast stimulation associated with the very practical task of feeding your baby. Consider this: do you have an orgasm every time you go braless? Probably not, yet your nipples are being stimulated by the friction against your clothing as you move. Not all stimulation is the same!

Breastfeeding should be a wonderful and, yes, even pleasurable, experience for both mother and baby. It is an opportunity to bond and nurture as well as nourish. The health benefits to baby are extraordinary: fewer infections, fewer allergies, fewer tooth and jaw abnormalities. I encourage you in your desire to breastfeed and reassure you that you will not be committing sexual abuse if you find the experience to be physically as well as emotionally pleasurable.