When it comes to motherhood, it’s common to feel disconnected from your sensual self, especially when it comes to your breasts.
Pregnancy hormones increase their size as milk is produced and after birth, whether suckled or pumped, for some they become the source of nourishment for your little one(s). Your breasts being a pleasure zone might feel a long way away, but even though they may not feel like they belong to you anymore, they play a profound role in your journey to pleasure.
The female breasts are symbols of fertility, nourishment, sexuality and feminine power in many cultures, but once motherhood begins, they can be overlooked in intimacy due to pain or fear of leaking or criticised for breastfeeding in public. There’s a special kind of feeling reserved for sitting with electric or manual pumps pulling milk into freezer bags.
Whether you breastfed long ago or are doing it right now, it’s common to lose touch with the erotic potential of your breasts. Actively reconnecting with them is an invitation to reclaim their sensuality while also making sure that you’re aware of any changes to them as early as possible.
Mastitis, milk blisters and cracked nipples can make the connection to pleasure hard to imagine, and physical changes can create feelings of self-judgement. Bigger areola (the coloured circle around the nipple) and longer nipples themselves might make you feel self-conscious in a way you might not have before.
Connecting to and reclaiming the sensuality of your breasts can be started simply by spending more time with them in the shower, or when applying moisturiser. Noticing the contours, textures and sensations as you wash or apply lotion can be a great way of becoming present to yourself and your breasts in a way that isn’t about feeding children. What’s more, touching them creates a mind-body connection, building more sensation and pathways to pleasure.
Stimulating the breasts also produces oxytocin, the love hormone that’s produced after intimacy, birth and during breastfeeding, meaning that journeying with your breasts also acts as a way to work on self-love.
As you reconnect to your breasts through touch and awareness, remember that they’ve been on a transformational journey throughout pregnancy and post-partum. The breasts hold many stories and judgements from society and yourself, so I invite you to go gently with compassion as you spend time with them.
Natalie Martin is an Author, Menstrual Cycle & Life Coach and recently she became a first-time mum to her beautiful son. She is also a Certified Level-1 Year-1 Fembodiment™ Method Facilitator and a guest blogger at The Fembodiment™ Institute.
Comments