Contraindicated: on being human while breastfeeding

Also on male doctors, r/breastfeeding, and having to figure it out our goddamn selves

I recently got my period for the first time in 23 months. As lovely as it was to not buy tampons for two years, the respite from menstruation was symptomatic of other burdens borne by my body during this phase—the conception, gestation, and sustenance of a baby. That has meant having to think twice before consuming whatever it is I want or need or a giv…