Personally, I have opt to breastfeed exclusively due to the immerse benefits of breast milk. Breast milk is very nutritious and contains a lot of vitamins, good bacterias and antibodies which can boost baby's immune system. It's known that babies who are fed with breast milk grow up to be smarter and healthier. As a mother, I hope to give the best to my baby. Moreover, breastfeeding is a very good way to bond with my baby.
I have been breastfeeding everywhere I go with my nursing cover.
Today, based on my personal experience I'll blog about things to take note for mommies who wish to breast feed.
1. Breast milk will only kicks in 3-5 days after delivery.
Mommy's breast will produce a transparent or golden colostrum instead of milk during the 1st few days after delivery. This colostrum is very nutritious and will stop when milk kicks in. Hence, mommy should not think that you do not have enough breast milk in the first few days after delivery.
Sharing my own experience:
"Initially, I was persuaded by my confinement nanny to not breast feed my baby in night time while she was taking care of my baby. She claimed that I have not enough breast milk and baby was crying due to hunger. Moreover, she kept insisting that I should not breast feed at night so that I can rest well.
She said things like if I don't rest enough during confinement, I will have a lot of health problem when I'm older.
I was a little pressurized by her words especially when she said that all the mothers she had taken care of followed her.
As I was inexperienced, I gave in on my 1st night with confinement nanny, I let her feed my baby with formula from bottle.
That night I couldn't sleep knowing that my baby was fed with formula and worrying that he will have nipple confusion the next day. I kept thinking and worrying and ended up crying (maybe it's the hormones which made Mommy becomes more emotional).
Eventually, at 3am, I went to my confinement nanny in tears to get my baby back. I told her I'll rather suffer when I'm old (if what she said is true that I'll have health issue if I don't rest well during confinement) than not giving the best to my baby. "
2. Breast milk supply produces on demand of baby. Hence, do not stop breastfeeding because you think that your milk supply is low.
The more you let your babies latch, the more milk you will produce. If you choose to supplement your feeding with formula, your babies will demand lesser milk and ultimately it will lead to lesser milk production. A vicious cycle.
3. If babies latch correctly, nimples should not feel painful.
During the 1st few week of breastfeeding process, babies may not be very good at latching which may cause mommy to feel pain or discomfort. When mommy feels pain try to unlatch the baby by putting a finger into the mouth of the baby and then relatch again.
4. It's very important to apply nimple cream to prevent nimple crack and relieve soreness after every feed. This is a MUST!
It will be very painful to continue breastfeeding when your nimple cracks (I have experienced this). Prevention is better than cure. I use medela nimple cream.
5. If it hurts during the 1st month of breastfeeding do not give up, it will only get better.
In my first few week of breastfeeding, I have experienced nimple skin peeling off and nimple bleeding. Though Aedan is very good at latching, he sucks very hard and will pull my nipple towards the end of his feeding. Although it's painful, I persevered and continued to breastfeed. Surprisely, after the 1st month, breastfeeding is no longer painful. I'm not sure is it because my nipples have become more resilient or Aedan's sucking has improved.
6. If your breast is engorged, you can let your baby sucks while massaging the area with blocked ducts to clear the blocked passage.
I will check on my breasts every day and try to clear the blocked ducts as soon as it's discovered. It's advisable to clear the blocked ducts before the breasts become too engorged and hardened.
7. Breast milk digest faster than formula milk. Hence, breast fed baby will get hungry faster and require feeding every 2hr - 2.5hr.
Aedan gets hungry really fast in his 1st month. Sometime he cries for milk in an interval of 1hr to 1.5 hr.
8. Breast feeding is not easy. It takes many trials and errors and often leads to many sleepless night.
I used to take about 1hr to feed him as he will doze off during feeding. Sucking requires alot of energy from the baby so he may get tired and take short rest in between and I have to wake him up to continue. Also, sometimes he will fuss during feeding due to his reflux and I have to pacify him before continuing to feed him. This led to many sleepless nights.
Breast feeding mommies require a lot of support during breastfeeding so I'll encourage those who want to breast feed to join Breastfeeding Mums group on facebook for support and sharing of experience. I personally find this group really useful as there are many mommies who share their tips in breast feeding, storage of milk & many many more.
You can find the closed group on Facebook at Breastfeeding Mums.
So far, I have breastfeed for more than 2 months. I'm glad that I have choose to breastfeed as it is fulfilling. It's enjoyable to see Aedan's drunken look after feeding. Moreover, as a mommy, it feels good to be able to produce for my baby.
I hope I can breastfeed till as long as possible. Maybe I'll share more when I've successfully breastfeed for one year. ^^
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Twentysixoctober
