as soon as we reached home, i tried to offer you the nip. alhamdulillah, you sucked vigorously (i was afraid if you didn’t know how to suck but you did very well!). i didn’t have fear of ‘baby is having insufficient milk, since i believed my colostrum was enough for you and losing weight at your first week is healthy.
my very first time breastfeed you was… all trial and error. what i saw & read from books & worldwideweb never been that easy to practise. and nurses at the hospital never taught me how to breastfeed. until my nurse auntie came and showed me the right position and right way to breastfeed.
the first 3 days, my breasts were just the same size as before. and the nips was high, made it uneasy to hold you right to the nips. and i tot i didn’t produce anything. huhu. however, at the fourth day, my breasts engorged, and the nips got lowered 😛 (i think i have to change the cupsize of my nursing bras). and during your very first week, you spent your time sleeping, until i had to pump the milk out, everytime my breasts engorge.
once i was afraid of ‘you don’t get enough milk coz you sleep all the time’. but looking at your physical development… very good! everybody says that you are ‘big and doesn’t like an under confinement baby’, then i confident you get enough from me.
another burping session with Abiy
i tried to give you breastfeed as much as possible but i still pump minimum 2 times a day, usually in the morning and at night before to go sleep. and sometimes in the afternoon or evening if you don’t wake up. however, we have no proper fridge, so i can’t keep any stock for you. my mom ‘allows’ me to keep the milk for a day only in our refrigerator. however, EBM is very useful, because when breastfeeding, you’re gonna sleep after few sucks but you’re gonna finish a bottle per feeding of EBM. usually i give you EBM in the afternoon and at night before go to bed, so that you won’t wake me up to feed you over and over again, hehe.
i really watch my food intake, bcoz you got colic since about 2 weeks ago. maybe i was too excited about hariraya, i ate anything of everything and the result is, you got severe colic. so, for now i listen to the elders, stop taking food that cause wind! i continue my supplement intake and drink plenty of water [trying hard to meet the recommended amount for breastfeeding mom, 4Litre!]. & this time i don’t miss soy protein, 2-3 times a day 🙂 [i manage to consume a tin in a month!].
breastfeeding, is a wonderful experience. i got sorenipples during the first week, and getting use to it by now. and i also had sore-aurela. phew~ you are so ganazzz! for sorenipples, i use bepanthen, the cream i put on your butt to avoid nappy rash 😛 and i wear breastshield to protect my nips. soooo uneasy until i can’t even touch them! urgh… that’s hurt~
i don’t know how much your feeding dosage but for sure 3oz per feeding is a must. if i feed you with EBM, i’ll wake you up after several hours, i.e. 2-3 hours, but if breastfeeding, i just wait for your demand. your signs for feeding are very cute – sucking your hands and turning your head left or right 😀
i do not care much about my milk supply, as long as you get enough milk. i used to think about getting milk supply helper but it’s no use. i can’t even keep it for more than a day… but i still pump out because my breasts engorge beautifully =) [sometimes i have to let the milk flows to te drain rather than my son’s =( but what to do… if only i could sell my milk huhu]. i hope my milk supply will increase when the suitable time to keep it for stocks, only when we go back to miri. however, i strongly believe that the milk supply is based on demand. as you getting older and need more milk, the supply will increase to fill you up.
i pray everysecond so that i can give you my breastmilk until you are 2 year old. it’s not about saving money for cutting down expenses for your milk, in fact fully breastfeeding requires more than that, for the mom’s supplements and extra nutrition, not including the breastfeeding apparatus, but we want the very best for our kids.
however, still, breastfeding is not simple. there’s a price i have to pay. it change my life and body completely. but it worths! =) the most important thing is knowledge and support. even my mom asked me to feed you with plain water but i kindly told her that a breastfed baby doesn’t need any other food including plain water. but i can’t exclusively breastfeed you since you had colic and need to consume some herbs to stop it. but to me it’s OK. i never think about exclusive breastfeeding, fully breastfeeding is enough.
in a nutshell, my daily routine as a breastfeeding mom will never be the same as before. and to maintain my milk supply:
1. drink plenty of water – recommended 4litres
2. have a balance diet
3. get enough rest
4. drink horlicks+milk+soy protein and milo
5. pump minimum 2 times per day
6. breastfeed as much as possible
7. be positive that i can always satisfy my baby(ies)
8. and the MOST important thing, PRAY!
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