You probably already knew a few things before you got started Breastfeeding: It's good for baby (and you!). Hospitals offer classes on it (a major hint that it's harder than it looks). You may have even heard about the sore nipples and the yellow baby poop. But there's more to breastfeeding - a lot more - that no one seems to tell you in advance. Here's what we wished we knew... You'll constantly wonder whether baby is getting enough to eat Formula-feeding morns get the clarity of ounce markings on bottles and doctor-recommended serving sizes, but breastfeeding moms have to wait until baby decides he's done eating (and if he falls asleep sucking on your boob, is he done eating?). As a result, you may become obsessed with knowing whether your baby is crying because he's hungry - or because, well, he's a baby, and babies cry. But just relax mama: if baby’s content and he is pooping and peeing as much as he should be, he’s getting enough. You won’t know how to do it without the help of a nurse, friend, lactation consultant, book, website — or all of the above Even if you took that breastfeeding class, watched nursing videos online or read a book, you still probably won't be able to figure it out once the baby comes and you're expected to actually do it. "Aren't we supposed to be born with some innate ability for this?" you'll ask yourself. "How on earth did cavewomen learn to do it without the help of Youtube or ivillage? The answer is: with help. So prepare by studying the breastfeeding basics, but once you’ve delivered a baby, be sure to ask for your hospital’s location consultant, a knowledgeable nurse – even friends who have nursed – to give you hands-on help. The tips you’ll receive are totally worth letting some stranger you just met see your nips. There may be a ton of discomfort at first — or none at all There's a chance you'll be one of those women who nurses without so much as a sore nipple. If so, lucky you! But other moms find much of the breastfeeding process uncomfortable. There's the "let down" sensation, which some moms describe as a tingle and others find a real ache. There's engorgement, which gives you rock-hard breasts the size of a porn star's, but enough pain that you couldn't even think about doing anything that porn stars do. And don't even get us started on the raw nipples from baby's constant and earnest sucking for the first few days. Fortunately, these are just results of minor adjustments your body is making to breastfeeding. Your ducts will eventually "let down" the milk more comfortably, your breasts will learn to hold the right amount of milk to prevent engorgement, and baby will stop sucking the bejeezus out of you when she learns to nurse efficiently. If not, that's a sign there's something wrong and you should contact a lactation consultant. You'll become a breastmilk snob Once you become a nursing mom, your relationship with formula may change. You'll tell your husband that the free sample of formula in the cupboard is off limits - for emergency use only (the emergency being that you and your milk jugs get into a fatal car crash and never come back). You'll see other moms around town and immediately note whether they're armed with powdered formula dispensers or a nursing cover – and if it’s formula you’ll be judge-y. Listen to those nursing gurus — but not too much If you take a breastfeeding class or talk to a lactation consultant, you'll get lots of good advice on how often to feed baby, how to know she's latching on properly and how to keep up your milk supply. But listening to those breastfeeding gurus can also stress you out, make you feel like you're doing something wrong, and make you crazy. Just relax and don't give up. You'll get it. You'll amaze yourself The first time you see baby suckling on your breast properly, you'll stare with shock and awe: "Is he really swallowing? Are we really doing it?!" If you weren't so exhausted (and if you didn't have a baby attached to your boob), you'd do a happy dance.