I have promised myself to get this post out of my draft box once I completed my writing deadlines. So, here it goes.
Faliela has been exclusively on breastmilk for a bit over 8 months now. For one that aim to breastfeed up til 2 years (or at least 1 year), the journey is still a long way to go. I decided to put it in writing sooner, in case my memory ceased to store the first few months of experience which I value tremendously.
There were several times during this period that I often reconsidered my decision to fully breastfeed Faliela but alhamdulillah, I stuck to my guns. To note, the breastfeeding class I attended help a lot. I have compiled a file full of breastfeeding information and I am glad I get it organized as I often referred to it whenever I encounter problems. If I did not attend those classes, there were probably few misconceptions which will lead to the failure of me breastfeeding Faliela successfully.
The first week was hard, especially when I was still recovering from the post-op/delivery pain. The reclining hospital bed did help a lot in terms of positioning, but once I went home, positioning was such a nightmare. I was blessed to have a baby who pro at latching from day 1. But still, I had a cracked nipple the first week of breastfeeding and probably few more incidents of bleeding/cracked nipple after the first week. I applied some lanolin oil but found that, air-drying my nipple and applying some breastmilk around the area after nursing is the best treatment.
I had no idea whether I have started producing milk/colostrum or not, neither I bother to check. From the breastfeeding class I attended, I knew Faliela just need about one tablespoon at day 1 so I did not bother to express my milk. The next day when the paed came in for check-up, she told me Faliela had enough milk (probably more milk) based on her poo. I started to feel 'engorged' the second week after delivery. Followed by a big lump at my axillary area. I thought it was my lymph node that got swollen, but later to find out, it was a blockage of milk duct. And it was painful. I did not learn this part from breastfeeding class. After a few research on the website and a trial-and-error method, the best way to relieve a blocked milk duct (at least for me) is by pumping and at the same time, massaging the lumpy area towards your nipple. I have tried applying warm compression but it doesn't always work.
I started expressing as soon as the 'engorgement' period occured. At first, I was reluctant to use a manual pump, afraid that I will increase the milk production and being engorged, I do not want to have blocked milk duct all the time. But hand pumping was such a pain in the b*tt, so I decided to just manual pump everytime I started to feel engorge. After seeing the volume of my milk production each day, I decided to invest on buying Medela Freestyle and I am glad I did. I have more than enough milk on the first day I started working. More than enough that our freezer get overflowed. Luckily, Sandy, a friend of mine offered us to borrow her chest freezer. Thanks Sandy, if you ever read this!
A major transition awaited me when I went back to work. Whenever I have major experiments, I barely have enough time to eat lunch let alone expressing my milk. So, I improvised a little bit. I ate lunch and expressed my milk simultaneously. Most of the time, I get to express 3 times from 10 am-5pm but when I am too overwhelmed with work, I could only do it twice. So, basically, I don't have a fixed routine but I try my best.
As Faliela started on solids, my milk production has been decreasing gradually. Now, I understand why breastmilk production is based on 'supply and demand' concept. I am no longer getting 15-20 oz at work. Those days, my stored breastmilk was sufficient for a 3-month period. Now, my milk production is around 7-10oz, the same amount Faliela drinks when she is in her daycare. So, I am now starting to do extra session before I hit the bed just to make sure I have sufficient supply. Itulah, dulu malas lagi nak pump, sekarang dah tinggal sikit baru nak pump banyak kali.
During a random conversation with my supervisor, she told me about her failure to breastfeed her daughter and how her daughter battled with brief period of obesity when she was a teenager. My supervisor linked it to the fact that her daughter was on formula milk and she said research have shown that formula-fed baby is prone to obesity during the later period of their life. I don't know how true is the fact but I know that if Faliela contracted flu or cold from me, she usually clears it out within 2-3 days. I made sure I gave her my recently expressed milk during the period she was down with cold/flu as it carried the passive antibody.
There are too many advantages of breastfeeding your baby that I can possibly write. But one thing for sure, I feel a sense of pride whenever people ask me what did I feed her as Faliela is one lil chubby baby. So, being a breastfeeding mother myself, I salute those who have been breastfeeding their baby. Not to mention, partners who gave their full support and yes partners, it is extremely important. I am blessed to have a supportive husband. It is definitely a bumpy journey but as long as you have the motivation and positive attitude, insya-Allah the journey will get easier day by day.
As quoted from
this article " I will always look back on my 'breastfeeding working mothers' days with immense satisfaction. A mother’s few months of sacrifice is a baby’s lifetime of goodness."
