It’s hard work and well, there is so much I want to share about my breastfeeding journey so far. Gone are the days where I can sleep a full 8 hours without having to wake up in between.
Many people still have negative views and thoughts about breastfeeding. It is mostly fuel by ignorance and well, old school practices during the 70s when formula was the preferred choice. Many people here were surprised to learn that breastfeeding was not the norm in Malaysia during the 70s – people often think that in developing nations, breastfeeding would have been the natural choice since it’s cheaper and so forth. But no, formula was in because well, it was seen as better – Expensive AND better.
But now, we know better.
One of the reasons why I choose to breastfeed and breastfeed exclusively (I’ll explain the term later) is not just to save money but for my baby’s health as well. Breast milk contains all the necessary fats, proteins, vitamins, carbs and water on top of white blood cells and antibodies that a baby under six months requires, especially before they go for or complete for their vaccination programs. There is no need for a women who has no problems breastfeeding to supplement her baby’s diet with formula or water. Breast milk is made up of 80% plus water and if you’re feeding every two to three hours AND your baby is churning out at least three to four wet diapers, you’re giving him/her enough water. Also, breast milk is made of baby-friendly milk fats which are easily digested and passed out as soft stool instead of formula milk which can give some babies tummy issues or colic and constipation. Women who get ill during this period should continue to breastfeed (ask for breastfeeding-safe medications) as the antibodies their bodies churn out gets passed on to their babies. The old school belief that sick women should not breast feed for fear of passing their sickness to their babies is incorrect.
On the part of the mother, breastfeeding, while it takes a lot out of a women is a wonderful tool to help you get back into shape. While breastfeeding, the body churns out hormones like oxytocin which helps contracts the uterus back to its (nearly) pre-pregnancy size and shape – something that is crucial after a birth as the placenta which has weaved its way into the uterine blood vessels is now no longer there and thus the uterus must squeeze its blood vessels close to avoid bleed-outs. Also, the stimuli from suckling or nursing produces a natural (hormonal) relaxant for women, allowing them to relax and get that extra nap/rest that they need from staying up late to nurse. It also calms babies down (be warned not to offer your breasts/nipples as a pacifier though).
After nine days, I like to think that I’ve gotten into the groove of breastfeeding – having full breasts only to get Eva to be an efficient little pumper every 3 hours. A lot of women have numerous breastfeeding concerns – me notwithstanding, mind you. In the first couple of days, my biggest issue was no such much if I had enough milk but that my nipples were quite sore.
A proper latch-on is crucial and naturally, time. After a while, nipples will toughen out and of course, the initial nursing is always a bit tad uncomfy because of vigorous nursing but it should never hurt throughout the time a baby is on the breast. If so, it is a sign that something is wrong somewhere. To help with the sore nipples, I was given a tube of PureLan 100 by Medela. It is basically lanolin cream for the nipples and aids in the healing of sore & dry nipple tissue. God-set really because now I cannot survive without it!
Airing one’s girlfriends are important as well as wet nipples can promote bacterial and fungal growth as well as hinder the healing process. It’s important to air one’s nips after every feed and pad your nursing bras with CLEAN and DRY nursing pads to help with the chafing and healing. To date, I have already used up 1.5 boxes of nursing pads (30 pieces in a box). I find them to be excellent for leaks as well as giving my nipples that added comfort from chafing.
Comfortable nursing bras are extremely important. Bear in mind that once you start on the breastfeeding route, you will most probably be sleeping your nights away in a bra to avoid leaking all over yourself and the bed. Of course once in a while you can take the off but most of the time, you’ll be wearing them. So it’s important to get something that offers comfort as well as support. Your breasts will be full or large (when they aren’t full) so support is definitely wanted! I avoided getting wired nursing bras because I read they weren’t good for breast tissue and I now know why. When your breasts are full, the milk glands will nearly be bursting with milk and they can press up/out from the sides, making the nerves around the armpits and sides quite sore/tingling. With a regular non-wired, your milk glands are free to do just that but it’s another story with wired – which can lead to a whole host of problems. I bought two by accident and thus decided to remove the wires. I could still use them but they lack support so I went out and bought another two nursing bras and a nursing tank by Bravado. They just arrived today and so far, from what I’m experiencing, they are definitely perfect especially their basic nursing bra which is flexible in terms of sizes and such!!! The support is excellent as well! Hopefully I have enough since I don’t really stain them and all but I might just be tempted to get another few more pieces before I leave for Singapore…we’ll see.
Up next – on the nursing pillow, positions, and round the clock feeding.
