Why I choose to breastfeed?
- Because I'm not that rich and afford so much and alhamdulillah, my milk supply has always been a lot and breastfeeding will cut cost for the formula milk.
So for the first 6 months after birth, I managed to feed Harris fully with my EBM only. It was hard because after two months, getting back to work means I have little time to pump and my milk was dropping quite fast. Its because I didnt pump regularly. And during that time, I am still using the normal breast pump that requires me to properly sit down to pump. Means more time spent pumping and less work done. It'll affect my work record though plus projects coming in like so much and I didnt have much time to pump. 8 hours of working and I only manage to pump once a day. This routine contributes to the drop of my milk supply. I used to get bengkak susu within two hours, but that time, I get it after 4+ hours. But still, I had to pump at least once a day, if not, I will be in pain.
After 7-8 months, milk dropping and less time to pump, so I introduce Harris to formula milk which I got from the maternity hospital. And now, Harris drinks KariHome. My milk supply was still dropping and nearly 10 months of not being able to pump regularly, and also the price of formula milk so expensive and Harris drinks so much milk even if he eats so much. So I was struggling with money and such, I googled ways to increase milk supply. I didnt get any milkbooster though because I read that it depends to the hormone so I took it the old fashioned way.
1. Drink A LOT of plain water. This helps so much!
2. Always eat. Keep a stash of biscuits, fruits, anything to eat with you all the time.
3. Pump always. Exclusively every 2 hours for 30 minutes.
4. Keep a mindset of wanting to provide the best milk for your baby. Dont stress. Relax.
Reaching 10 months, and after doing so much research, I finally invested on a handsfree pump. It costs me nearly RM400 but for the sake of saving much money on the formula milk. Eventhough Harris already start on solid food, he still drinks milk so much that for one tin of the formula milk will last less than a month. And it aint cheap. So I had to find other solution.
After investing on the breastpump, I pump regularly, every 2 hours, and keep eating, keep myself hydrated. And now, Harris is now 1 year old, my milk supply is increasing. I can pump 10 ounce every session and Harris also drinks much plain water and solid food, so he drink less milk. Harris milk routine is twice or thrice a day, 10 ounce every session. So its still crucial for me to pump milk for him. I can now pump from my cubicle every 2 hours. And alhamdulillah, it works for me. No milk booster. And also, no stress!
Now, I pump for every 3-4 hours.
Struggles? A lot.
- Nipple crack.
During the first two months of pumping exclusively every 2 hours, my nipple was cracking and every early pumping session and breastfeeding is painful. I dont know why. And I googled that it might be because I use the wrong level of pumping. I should decrease the level if its painful, but I didnt. So after improvising, my nipple no longer cracking.
- Time.
Time is never a friend when you have loads to do. Even pumping at the cubicle requires you to sit down and pump. But its hard when you have to meet people and move around. But you gotta do what you gotta do, right!
- Choosing a pump.
Its hard. But I did consult a friend because I saw her story how she did handsfree pumping while doing work. She introduced me to Pumponthego website and instagram so I've been doing research and I went to the store to get a better consultation. Pumponthego Wangsa Maju worker has been so much help to me and husband and helps me to get a better understanding on which pump and handsfree that I should buy.
There's lot of lesson I get from my breastfeeding journey and I hope for baby no.2, I can still breastfeed. Because you know what they say, different baby will have different experience.
I did a mistake during confinement and working because I didnt drink much plain water and I didnt pump regularly. If I continue pumping regularly, I wouldnt be struggling to increase my milk supply. I should have never hesitated to invest money to get a high quality pump.
But nevertheless, husband has been so helpful and a great support for me and alhamdulillah, we both work as a team to try and provide whats best for Harris.
I am not saying that NOT breastfeeding is bad thing though, no. Some people want to breastfeed but maybe they cant. Everybody is struggling. And I am grateful that I am able to breastfeed. Even with so much struggle, I manage to overcome it. Breastfeeding is a commitment and a choice. We all can choose. I am just sharing my breastfeeding journey.
Wasalam. Love, Nina M.
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