When Breastfeeding Sucks: What you need to know about nursing aversion and agitation
Zainab Yate
2022
This pioneering book is the first to explore the phenomenon of breastfeeding or nursing aversion in depth. Drawing from research, lived experience, and practical strategies, Yate shines a light on a deeply under-acknowledged experience that many breastfeeding mothers face — often in silence and confusion.
Why It’s Included
This book provides validation, language, and support for parents who find breastfeeding emotionally distressing — a topic rarely acknowledged in mainstream resources. It fits our philosophy of informed choice and compassion, recognising that breastfeeding isn’t always easy or joyful, and that mothers deserve support even when things feel hard or contradictory.
Who It’s For
Essential reading for anyone who has experienced distress while breastfeeding, particularly sudden feelings of aversion or agitation. Also useful for breastfeeding counsellors, IBCLCs, doulas, and health professionals who want to better support families navigating complex emotional feeding journeys.
“Like conception, pregnancy and childbirth, breastfeeding is not always a blissful experience. From triggering previous trauma to aversions, te experience of lactation can come with unexpected feelings. This book explores who some women confront unexpected emotions and the choices they make.”
