India, Aug. 1 -- Breastfeeding, I was told, is one of the most intimate and powerful experiences after childbirth. That quiet we-time, skin-to-skin bond was meant to be sacrosanct to not just nurture my baby, but also help me establish connect as a new mother. What nobody prepared me for was the physical and emotional struggle that breastfeeding could be.

I am Radhika Bhirani, Editor at Health Shots, a women's health and wellness platform by Hindustan Times - and this is my story. My baby refused to latch. He cried - almost howled - the moment I would try to brush his lips against the breast. I cried for hours, helpless that I wasn't being able to do even the most basic thing a mother is expected to do. A lactation expert dismissed me, "...