Breastfeeding Journey- Part 1

After being wheeled to the ward, reality starts to set in. The nurse came over and ask whether i want to breastfeed my baby. At that time, i was very nauseous and kept vomitting after delivery. It must be due to the large amount of entodox i inhale during labour. I just told the nurse, i will do it later. After many hours, i was still feeling very exhausted and unwell. The nurse came again and ask me to breastfeed. Being totally weak, the nurse suggested me to give a bottle instead and wait for me to regain some energy first. Afterall my sweet baby is already hungry and crying fiercely. As as "fresh" mum, i heeded for the nurse advice , thinking it make sense and i can start to breastfeed on the next feed. The nurse asked my hubby which milk formula do you want to give to your baby. My hubby and i was caught off guard, we didnt consider this factor because all i wanted was breastmilk for my baby. Panicky, my hubby just said feed her mamill gold dumex cos he recall seeing this advertisment on TV. ( i realise TV has great power to capturing viewers attention ). So ashley , my first born had her 1st bottle feed. After resting for a while, i got back some energy and start to got down of bed to move around. When the next feed is up, i told the nurse to bring my baby for breastfeeding.  I held my baby for the 1st time, It was an usually feeling, couldnt believe this little life was brought into the world. Amazing, i thought to myself.

The nurse taught me how to tickle the chin of my baby to awake her and also showed me the correct way of latching the baby. I kept trying but it was of not much success. ashley was rather sleepy and she could only latch on not more than 5mins. the nurse just told me to keep trying and try to wake her.  After constant "disturbing" , little ashley was really awaken and was real hungry. She was crying loudly and she just couldnt latch on properly. She was super impatient because my milk had not kicked in yet , only can see some colostrum. After sucking for some time, she was so impatient and angry and she refuses to latched. The nurse suggested to give her a bottle again to satisfy her hunger as it's already 3 hours since her last feed. Although unwilling but scared, i gave in to the bottle.

Tip: After delivery, only colostrum is presented during the 1st few days of breasfeeding. Colostrum is the " gold " of breastmilk. It has high level of immunoglobulin. It helps to protect your baby from infection and helps to stimulate your baby to stimulate the passage of meconuim, your baby's first stools.

Do you know?

Colostrum has a energy value of 67kcal/100ml , Energy level of a mature milk is 75kcal/100ml. Do not be fool when other tell you that baby will not be full drinking only colostrum , they need "real" milk. All newborns have stored energy in them after birth to last them 3 solid days. That is why newborn tend to be sleepy because they are not actually hungry.

During my stay in the hospital and the huge number of visitors everynow and then, i just try latching as and when i can  ( most of the time, ashley couldnt really latch on well )and eventually topping up with milk formula after every feed.

when i reached home on the 4th day, i was determined to regain breastfeeding exclusively again. I brought out my books and try every means and ways to have a successful latch.  Every time, i could not do it well. i kept blaming myself what is wrong with me. Sadly my actually milk supply had not even kick in yet. I was so stressed and with my in law not really pro breastfeeding, i was like a mad woman depriving my baby to feed because i locked myself in the room trying only to breastfeed my non crying ashley. I did it for a couple of hours and my baby was still crying, i finally give in to my in law request and gave her a bottle again… because of this, i think i may have mild depression, sometime i do cry and do not really want to see any visitors. Luckily i had a supportive hubby and he encouraged me not to be stress and also told my parents and inlaw not to provoke me and say things to make the situation worsen. At this point, i knew my daughter was "hooked " on bottle feeding as she is used to the fast and constant flow. i regretted on giving her the 1st bottle in the hospital.

Tip: Try to breastfeed as soon as you can after delivery. Even for C sect, you can also try to do it the same day after delivery. If you need to resort to formula, insist that the nurse feed with a spoon or a cup. Many nurses will not be happy as it is difficult and slow to feed. But this discouraged  your baby relying on the bottle and it makes things easier when you are well to resume breasfeeeding.

On the fifth day, finally milk supply kicks in. Still as determined, i resorted to expressing via a breastpump. my first pump was an Avent Manual hand pump. I start expressing but milk was still very little. But every 2 hours, i expressed and feed my baby via the bottle. I started to feel better at least she was able to take some expressed breastmilk. Ashley had jaundice and was hospitalised. Every day, i would bring the expressed milk to the hospital so she can benefit from it. It was not easy because sometimes i missed out on bonding with her because i have to express milk. With the manual pump, its really torturing on the wrist and fingers and to dismantle the parts after every feed to wash and sterilize just keep me busy throughout the whole day. This starts my journey of total expressing… I breastfeed ashley for 3 months plus occassionally topping with milk formula.  After going back to work, my work conditions does not permit to express at work and i was too exhausted when i was home and my supply just dipped tremendously. But seeing her  grow healthy day by day, i was more than happy to breastfeed her even its was just 3 months. The tiredness, cramps of using the manual breast pump was all worth it.

Tip: Do not give up breastfeeding, some breastmilk is better than none. Try not to stress yourself as this affects milk supply. Try various way such as hand expressing or with a pump if directly latching does not works for you

Breastfeeding Journey- Part 2

After having my first experience, i was more equipped. I breastfeed celeste about 2 hours after my labour. I faced the same difficulty as she was also learning to latch on.  I was very determined that i breastfeed her for every 2 hours even at times when she was not really hungry. For the 1st day , it was tough as the latch was only 5 min or 10 mins at times.  Celeste was found with little urine so the nurse suggested me to give a bottlefeed. With hesitation, i resisted and supplement with some glucose to prevent dehydration. With the help of one nurse, she told me to try nipple shields to see if it helps. Amazing it works and soon i get  the hang of it. Although some time  she only latch on for maybe 10-15 mins , i was still glad that she does not need any supplementary feeds thereafter. I did the same routine even for night feed. It was really draining but i did not mind a tough start for a long termed benefit.

Do you know? A newborn may have the sucking instincts but Succcessful Latch is a learning skill. Get all the help  you need while you are at the hospital to ensure your baby is able to latch well.

When I return home, I still do the routine of 2 hourly feed for the 1st week afterbirth. With the help of the nipple shield, it really boost aid in a good latch. The troublesome part was that you need to disinfect the shields before using everytime. And when we went back for check-up, i need to bring along the nipple shields everywhere. For the 1st week, i had really bad aches due to poor position of latching, my life saviour " Brestfriend Nursing Pillow " really helps to support my lower back and reduce the aches of my arms too. During the first few weeks , i used a electric pump to express out milk even after latching to help to build up milk supply. I find that using this method allows me to produce more milk but it is very tiring as your job for the whole day is " milking". After 2 weeks, my supply were established and i alternate latching and feeding expressed milk for celeste.

Tip: Try to express milk even you are latching fully. It helps to empty your breasts and builds up your milk bank. Different types of pumps do play a part in emptying the breast as the suction and rhythm varies. Some brands to consider is Ameda dual electric or Avent Uno electric pump.

Invest in a good nursing pillow like the brestfriend pillow to make nursing your baby a breeze and protects your lower back. It is better than other brands as it has a clip to secure around your waist to distribute the weight of your baby evenly.

Any breastfeeding mum will encounter problems of engorgement or poor letdown. I suffered from engorgement and blocked ducts. My massage lady did a good job in  helping me to clear them and also, I use hot stone compressed with some massaging techniques to help relieve these sturborn blocked ducts. Latching is the best way to relieve these but a good and proper latch is required. I also faithfully expressed every 3 hours even if it is not feeding time. This prevents the  serious engorgement and sometimes i do fall asleep while i am pumping. After surviving the months without proper sleep and panda eyes, i am proud that i am able to breastfeed exclusively for almost 7 months.

Must do : You need to wake up every 2-3 hourly to express you milk even if you baby sleeps throughout the night. This prevents bad engorgement and causing milk supply to dip.

Founder of SgMummy
Founder of Origins Jamu Massage
Mom to 2 girls