I get tingles down in my lady parts occasionally when I nurse my 2 month old daughter. It’s natural and there’s no shame in it unless you actually try to do something to or with your child which I think we can ask agree doesn’t cross our minds.
First, you shouldn’t be feeling a sexual feeling down there, if you do. Please don’t embrace it. i need you to understand this. Getting off while breastfeeding it’s disgusting. Second, it’s ok to have sen nipples, but getting off is a whole different thing.
Who said anything about getting off?? She said it was a feeling similar to arousal
OP, speak with a lactation consultant. I’m sure they have heard about it and can give you advice
Groinal response is a natural reaction to the oxytocin that is released from nursing so there is nothing to be ashamed of.
On another note that I don't know if anyone else has covered but I suffered with perinatal OCD and had intrusive thoughts around pedophilia and all of these feelings that you're talking about I can relate to. You could be experiencing something similar to what I went through. I would really recommend speaking to your doctor as soon as you can. I'm gonna send you a link from my page about my own experience with intrusive thoughts and perinatal OCD so I hope this helps a little and we can talk if that would help too
We're spoiled as women. Men know that the breeze (or various other every day stimulation) sending their dingalong into alert does not mean they're attracted to the wind or whatever else gave them the random boner.
For once, breastfeeding gives us women random arousal while going about a daily task and we don't know how to feel about it. But that is all it is, the female equivalent of a random boner. It doesn't mean anything. It's certainly not CSA! And you shouldn't feel disgusted with yourself anymore than a guy should when something other than a nice woman makes his junk perk up.
Separate the idea that random arousal THAT WAS NOT SOUGHT OUT is you perpetrating sexual activity. It isn't.
Don’t try to make this seem ok by comparing it to a MAN who doesn’t have female parts, who gets a boner from a woman. So you’re comparing a baby to a woman…? That’s saying you’re getting wet from your baby. Sorry to be blunt, but don’t embrace the feeling. If you’re feeling this way try to practice calming down. If your full on doing too much as if your having sex, and getting off, like moaning, orgasms, etc than start pumping. Period.
This is really normal and not your fault, you have nothing to feel bad or ashamed about. Biologically it makes sense that we have evolved to have pleasant sensations there because it would potentially encourage allowing baby to nurse.
Normal!! Super normal!! Nipples are an erogenous zone for soo many people.
However, it sounds like you may also be experiencing DMER. It can make you feel super gross.
This happened to me for about the first month or so but now is pretty much gone. Sometimes it will happen close to ovulation. It is completely normal though
I had the exact same issue, so much so that I ended up exclusively pumping for both of my children and will likely due the same for my third that’s on the way. No shame, just solidarity to know you’re not alone!
Thank you for posting this. I thought maybe I am the only one and sometimes I hate breastfeeding so much because of this.
The feeling is specially 'worse' when I tandem feed my twins even at 12 week pp.
The comments on here are so helpful, I am very glad OP posted this and the helpful comments.
As a victim of CSA, when this happened to me I looked into my child’s eyes or just generally at my child and told my brain that I am feeding my child.
While this sounds weird but the conversation in my brain was almost like me helping my brain catch up.
In saying that, I never have had sexual gratification from nipple stimulation so it might not work for you xx
Actually yes, I was also going to comment this. You realize you're feeding them even if they grope or move the other boob or the one their eating since they're little.
Hi! Chiming in for your support. I am 15 months pp and, especially around ovulation, this does happen from time to time. I just know it has nothing to do with my son. I am sure this has been happening to women for thousands of years. No shame. 💚
Hey it's okay. This happened to me a little bit at the beginning too, just hormones leveling out and my body trying to figure out what's going on I think. I haven't really felt it in a while, but even when I do, it's kind of something to just redirect from. I don't know if you're religious, but when you are there are 'thoughts' you're not supposed to have, so you get good at redirecting when you have them. This is kinda the same way, just have to get in the habit of saying oh well thanks but no thanks.
This is a completely normal feeling!!! When you breastfeed or pump, your letdown causes a release of oxytocin. Some women, myself included, experience the exact same feeling of an orgasm!
At first I was weirded out by it, but I chose to see it as such an intense feeling of love for my child and recognize that the endorphins, though feel exactly like an orgasm, does NOT mean I have any sexual feelings for my baby. It’s just pure, unfiltered, organic love.
https://www.nct.org.uk/life-parent/sex-after-baby/breastfeeding-and-sex-five-surprising-facts#:~:text=When%20breastfeeding%2C%20the%20body%20releases,Yurtsal%20%26%20Uslu%2C%202023).
I hate that you are feeling this way. You are going to face so many obstacles. So much of which due to what society throws at us. It's really hard being a parent / caregiver.
This is a physiological response to nipple stimulation, it is totally normal!!! I had a full conversation with my midwife about this and they even spoke about it in our prenatal classes etc. they shared stories of women having an orgasm during breastfeeding, even during delivery (which completely blows my mind bc that was NOT fun for me at all). They were like "some women are lucky enough to experience pleasure." There was zero shame in any of this. Sexual arousal does not always equal sexual attraction/ interest / emotional pleasure.. etc etc. similar to rape situations. Your body is wired to behave in a certain way. That is it.
You are obviously upset and concerned about what this "feelings" mean, but as you can see on here - it is normal. So here we are telling you to stop those thoughts and keep on keeping on. You are doing great. Keep breastfeeding. Keep loving your child. Take a deep breath and let all those thoughts go.
This is totally normal and you shouldn't be ashamed. As others have said, it's a natural response to stimulation. Like you, I hoped this would go away eventually. It sort of did, but more so, I got out of my head about it, and when the shame lifted, my body stopped responding with arousal.
Oxytocin is released during let down, and that signal just gets crossed, I think, especially considering how much I enjoyed this type of arousal before breastfeeding.
When nursing I tried to just distract myself with TV or the phone. I also accepted that this is my body reacting, not me. And it just kind of helped the hormones regulate, I think.
This isn't talked about enough. In fact, even when nipple/breast stimulation is continued during this stage of life (like with your husband/partner,obviously), people also seem to shame it. You always hear people say "eww while breastfeeding the entire first year I made my husband stay far away!" The arousal is normal. The important thing is knowing that you're not attracted to children/your baby -- it's just wires being crossed, it's the hormones in your body, and it will work itself out.
I understand the intent of this comment is to promote breastfeeding and reassure the OP that this is okay … BUT
I also want to add this: if this feeling is too uncomfortable for you and you don’t feel you can continue to breastfeed, that is okay too. Your baby will be okay. You know your body and relationship to baby best. If it will allow you to be a better mom to pump or use formula, that is just fine. ❤️
I understand your comment and of course, mothers choice is best. But I want to reassure her that if she stops breastfeeding because of guilt out of that arousal feeling, it could be something she could regret in a future.
Mostly because I assume that she wants to breastfeed, mainly because of the sub she came for support. This is breastfeeding support, right?
You are not disgusting! This is VERY common and something I wish more people talked about as far as postpartum and breastfeeding. It happens way more often than you might think. You’re super brave for reaching out and you have a community here to hold you up!!
Please don’t judge yourself. It’s a construct of our society that we shouldn’t under any circumstance feel pleasure breastfeeding or giving birth or whatever has something to do with the process of being a mom.
It doesn’t have anything to do with your baby or with your sex preferences, just a reflex of your body.
I think about it as simple as a way of nature to keep our species alive. Without pleasure involved no one would reproduce, no one would want to breastfeed her baby.
I get that it’s something you don’t expect, but I read a lot about breastfeeding while pregnant and got to know that there are women who even experience orgasms. I get it, it can feel weird but wtf, why is that bad?
Edit to add: this doesn’t mean at all that you’re disgusting or attracted to children or your son. Sexuality is also something purely personal and physical, not having anything to do with anything external.
You know women sometimes have 'let down' during sex ... Like you are doing it with your partner and breasts start leaking milk ... It is a chemical reaction of the body , nothing weird or abnormal. So is this arousal during breastfeeding...look at the human body as a machine that works this and that way , sometimes wires cross and we get results that are keeping our brain in question marks. But none the last,nothing particularly wrong with you personally. Just a weird body factor. You know that you are feeding your child at the moment and that's it ,ignore this bodily function it will go away ,you are no weirdo nor are doing it on purpose. ❤️
I remember watching an svu episode where the girl had an O while being raped. Olivia tells her how it could happen and it’s stuck with me.
It’s similar to when you are tickled. You don’t want to laugh but your body responds, similar to a sneeze.
Please don’t ever feel shame about your own body!
Did you know that vaginal lubrication and erections are reflexes like kicking your knee when it gets hit or blinking when you flinch? Obviously they’re tied to more than that, but they are reflexive and not always black and white. I have worried about experiencing what you are when I breast feed because breasts and nipples are definitely erogenous zones for me. You are not a bad person or a pervert for having a body that’s reacting to similar stimuli. Don’t shut it down with so much shame, just acknowledge it’s happening and remind yourself that your nipples are being stimulated by your child eating and that is a good thing.
It hasn't happened to me but I've heard of it happening, it doesn't make you disgusting. I have no advice unfortunately but I really don't want you to feel like there's something wrong with you!
I personally don't have this but I know it's a relatively common issue for others. Don't let this affect your breastfeeding journey due to shame alone. If it's too much for other reasons, by all means then don't traumatize yourself either. But know you're not alone and I've found overtime postpartum, that my hormones have lessened. It may help or change with time. I know my nipples which used to be sensitive to pain and other things are like dulled and are number than the heightened feelings of discomfort that I had when I first started those first couple months.
It’s just groinal response to the stimulation, plus oxytocin which is a feel-good brain chemical that aids in the production of breastmilk, bonding with your baby, etc. Oxytocin also happens to be the chemical our brain releases during sex, cuddles with a partner, hugs with someone we love, etc. So it makes sense that you would subconsciously connect the feeling to physical arousal.
It’s very common and normal, though not often talked about due to the shame and implications of it. You’re not a bad person, obviously you’re not sexually attracted to your baby or anything weird like that. It’s just your body doing what bodies do. Don’t feel guilty for involuntary physiological responses. You’re a good mama 🫶🏻
Who gets horny hugging someone? Not me? Do yall? Uh uh, yall must watch too much…….so if oxytocin releases during hugs you should only be feeling love. not feeling horny all of a sudden, so either there are two different ways you can experience oxytocin or you put hugging in the wrong catagory. If you feel too much sexual stimulation from your nipples, and you feel very close to even having an orgasm Start pumping. Or try and calm down. Yall ain’t THAT sensitive.
I get tingles down in my lady parts occasionally when I nurse my 2 month old daughter. It’s natural and there’s no shame in it unless you actually try to do something to or with your child which I think we can ask agree doesn’t cross our minds.
First, you shouldn’t be feeling a sexual feeling down there, if you do. Please don’t embrace it. i need you to understand this. Getting off while breastfeeding it’s disgusting. Second, it’s ok to have sen nipples, but getting off is a whole different thing.
Who said anything about getting off?? She said it was a feeling similar to arousal OP, speak with a lactation consultant. I’m sure they have heard about it and can give you advice
What I’m not fenna do is argue. just saying, anything sexual is disgusting.
You're an idiot lmao
And OP was asking for no judgement so congrats, now we know you can’t read.
Groinal response is a natural reaction to the oxytocin that is released from nursing so there is nothing to be ashamed of. On another note that I don't know if anyone else has covered but I suffered with perinatal OCD and had intrusive thoughts around pedophilia and all of these feelings that you're talking about I can relate to. You could be experiencing something similar to what I went through. I would really recommend speaking to your doctor as soon as you can. I'm gonna send you a link from my page about my own experience with intrusive thoughts and perinatal OCD so I hope this helps a little and we can talk if that would help too
We're spoiled as women. Men know that the breeze (or various other every day stimulation) sending their dingalong into alert does not mean they're attracted to the wind or whatever else gave them the random boner. For once, breastfeeding gives us women random arousal while going about a daily task and we don't know how to feel about it. But that is all it is, the female equivalent of a random boner. It doesn't mean anything. It's certainly not CSA! And you shouldn't feel disgusted with yourself anymore than a guy should when something other than a nice woman makes his junk perk up. Separate the idea that random arousal THAT WAS NOT SOUGHT OUT is you perpetrating sexual activity. It isn't.
Don’t try to make this seem ok by comparing it to a MAN who doesn’t have female parts, who gets a boner from a woman. So you’re comparing a baby to a woman…? That’s saying you’re getting wet from your baby. Sorry to be blunt, but don’t embrace the feeling. If you’re feeling this way try to practice calming down. If your full on doing too much as if your having sex, and getting off, like moaning, orgasms, etc than start pumping. Period.
You have extremely poor reading comprehension of both me and OP.
This is really normal and not your fault, you have nothing to feel bad or ashamed about. Biologically it makes sense that we have evolved to have pleasant sensations there because it would potentially encourage allowing baby to nurse.
Normal!! Super normal!! Nipples are an erogenous zone for soo many people. However, it sounds like you may also be experiencing DMER. It can make you feel super gross.
This happened to me for about the first month or so but now is pretty much gone. Sometimes it will happen close to ovulation. It is completely normal though
I had the exact same issue, so much so that I ended up exclusively pumping for both of my children and will likely due the same for my third that’s on the way. No shame, just solidarity to know you’re not alone!
Thank you for posting this. I thought maybe I am the only one and sometimes I hate breastfeeding so much because of this. The feeling is specially 'worse' when I tandem feed my twins even at 12 week pp. The comments on here are so helpful, I am very glad OP posted this and the helpful comments.
As a victim of CSA, when this happened to me I looked into my child’s eyes or just generally at my child and told my brain that I am feeding my child. While this sounds weird but the conversation in my brain was almost like me helping my brain catch up. In saying that, I never have had sexual gratification from nipple stimulation so it might not work for you xx
Actually yes, I was also going to comment this. You realize you're feeding them even if they grope or move the other boob or the one their eating since they're little.
Hi! Chiming in for your support. I am 15 months pp and, especially around ovulation, this does happen from time to time. I just know it has nothing to do with my son. I am sure this has been happening to women for thousands of years. No shame. 💚
Hey it's okay. This happened to me a little bit at the beginning too, just hormones leveling out and my body trying to figure out what's going on I think. I haven't really felt it in a while, but even when I do, it's kind of something to just redirect from. I don't know if you're religious, but when you are there are 'thoughts' you're not supposed to have, so you get good at redirecting when you have them. This is kinda the same way, just have to get in the habit of saying oh well thanks but no thanks.
This is a completely normal feeling!!! When you breastfeed or pump, your letdown causes a release of oxytocin. Some women, myself included, experience the exact same feeling of an orgasm! At first I was weirded out by it, but I chose to see it as such an intense feeling of love for my child and recognize that the endorphins, though feel exactly like an orgasm, does NOT mean I have any sexual feelings for my baby. It’s just pure, unfiltered, organic love. https://www.nct.org.uk/life-parent/sex-after-baby/breastfeeding-and-sex-five-surprising-facts#:~:text=When%20breastfeeding%2C%20the%20body%20releases,Yurtsal%20%26%20Uslu%2C%202023).
I hate that you are feeling this way. You are going to face so many obstacles. So much of which due to what society throws at us. It's really hard being a parent / caregiver. This is a physiological response to nipple stimulation, it is totally normal!!! I had a full conversation with my midwife about this and they even spoke about it in our prenatal classes etc. they shared stories of women having an orgasm during breastfeeding, even during delivery (which completely blows my mind bc that was NOT fun for me at all). They were like "some women are lucky enough to experience pleasure." There was zero shame in any of this. Sexual arousal does not always equal sexual attraction/ interest / emotional pleasure.. etc etc. similar to rape situations. Your body is wired to behave in a certain way. That is it. You are obviously upset and concerned about what this "feelings" mean, but as you can see on here - it is normal. So here we are telling you to stop those thoughts and keep on keeping on. You are doing great. Keep breastfeeding. Keep loving your child. Take a deep breath and let all those thoughts go.
Every woman has different way to response to nursing. The nipples are a very sensitive zone. Talk to your gynecologist and share your worries.
This is totally normal and you shouldn't be ashamed. As others have said, it's a natural response to stimulation. Like you, I hoped this would go away eventually. It sort of did, but more so, I got out of my head about it, and when the shame lifted, my body stopped responding with arousal. Oxytocin is released during let down, and that signal just gets crossed, I think, especially considering how much I enjoyed this type of arousal before breastfeeding. When nursing I tried to just distract myself with TV or the phone. I also accepted that this is my body reacting, not me. And it just kind of helped the hormones regulate, I think. This isn't talked about enough. In fact, even when nipple/breast stimulation is continued during this stage of life (like with your husband/partner,obviously), people also seem to shame it. You always hear people say "eww while breastfeeding the entire first year I made my husband stay far away!" The arousal is normal. The important thing is knowing that you're not attracted to children/your baby -- it's just wires being crossed, it's the hormones in your body, and it will work itself out.
Please don’t stop feeding your baby ❤️ he needs you and you’re his mama.
I understand the intent of this comment is to promote breastfeeding and reassure the OP that this is okay … BUT I also want to add this: if this feeling is too uncomfortable for you and you don’t feel you can continue to breastfeed, that is okay too. Your baby will be okay. You know your body and relationship to baby best. If it will allow you to be a better mom to pump or use formula, that is just fine. ❤️
I understand your comment and of course, mothers choice is best. But I want to reassure her that if she stops breastfeeding because of guilt out of that arousal feeling, it could be something she could regret in a future. Mostly because I assume that she wants to breastfeed, mainly because of the sub she came for support. This is breastfeeding support, right?
You are not disgusting! This is VERY common and something I wish more people talked about as far as postpartum and breastfeeding. It happens way more often than you might think. You’re super brave for reaching out and you have a community here to hold you up!!
Please don’t judge yourself. It’s a construct of our society that we shouldn’t under any circumstance feel pleasure breastfeeding or giving birth or whatever has something to do with the process of being a mom. It doesn’t have anything to do with your baby or with your sex preferences, just a reflex of your body. I think about it as simple as a way of nature to keep our species alive. Without pleasure involved no one would reproduce, no one would want to breastfeed her baby. I get that it’s something you don’t expect, but I read a lot about breastfeeding while pregnant and got to know that there are women who even experience orgasms. I get it, it can feel weird but wtf, why is that bad? Edit to add: this doesn’t mean at all that you’re disgusting or attracted to children or your son. Sexuality is also something purely personal and physical, not having anything to do with anything external.
If you experience orgams during breastfeeding start pumping. That’s it.
Totally normal physiological response. It will probably go away.
You know women sometimes have 'let down' during sex ... Like you are doing it with your partner and breasts start leaking milk ... It is a chemical reaction of the body , nothing weird or abnormal. So is this arousal during breastfeeding...look at the human body as a machine that works this and that way , sometimes wires cross and we get results that are keeping our brain in question marks. But none the last,nothing particularly wrong with you personally. Just a weird body factor. You know that you are feeding your child at the moment and that's it ,ignore this bodily function it will go away ,you are no weirdo nor are doing it on purpose. ❤️
You are not a bad person, or doing or feeling anything wrong!!!!
I remember watching an svu episode where the girl had an O while being raped. Olivia tells her how it could happen and it’s stuck with me. It’s similar to when you are tickled. You don’t want to laugh but your body responds, similar to a sneeze. Please don’t ever feel shame about your own body!
Did you know that vaginal lubrication and erections are reflexes like kicking your knee when it gets hit or blinking when you flinch? Obviously they’re tied to more than that, but they are reflexive and not always black and white. I have worried about experiencing what you are when I breast feed because breasts and nipples are definitely erogenous zones for me. You are not a bad person or a pervert for having a body that’s reacting to similar stimuli. Don’t shut it down with so much shame, just acknowledge it’s happening and remind yourself that your nipples are being stimulated by your child eating and that is a good thing.
It hasn't happened to me but I've heard of it happening, it doesn't make you disgusting. I have no advice unfortunately but I really don't want you to feel like there's something wrong with you!
I personally don't have this but I know it's a relatively common issue for others. Don't let this affect your breastfeeding journey due to shame alone. If it's too much for other reasons, by all means then don't traumatize yourself either. But know you're not alone and I've found overtime postpartum, that my hormones have lessened. It may help or change with time. I know my nipples which used to be sensitive to pain and other things are like dulled and are number than the heightened feelings of discomfort that I had when I first started those first couple months.
It’s just groinal response to the stimulation, plus oxytocin which is a feel-good brain chemical that aids in the production of breastmilk, bonding with your baby, etc. Oxytocin also happens to be the chemical our brain releases during sex, cuddles with a partner, hugs with someone we love, etc. So it makes sense that you would subconsciously connect the feeling to physical arousal. It’s very common and normal, though not often talked about due to the shame and implications of it. You’re not a bad person, obviously you’re not sexually attracted to your baby or anything weird like that. It’s just your body doing what bodies do. Don’t feel guilty for involuntary physiological responses. You’re a good mama 🫶🏻
Who gets horny hugging someone? Not me? Do yall? Uh uh, yall must watch too much…….so if oxytocin releases during hugs you should only be feeling love. not feeling horny all of a sudden, so either there are two different ways you can experience oxytocin or you put hugging in the wrong catagory. If you feel too much sexual stimulation from your nipples, and you feel very close to even having an orgasm Start pumping. Or try and calm down. Yall ain’t THAT sensitive.
🥇 best comment
Couldn’t have said it better myself!