My Breastfeeding Journey

You’ll officially become a milk cow as soon as 3 days after you give birth and you need to quickly decide which route are you gonna take.

1. Direct full latch

2. Exclusive pump

For both my boys, I chose the EP route.

Why?

- They do not latch well on me. My milk flow is too slow for them and they are big eaters

- I need to know exactly how much they drink

- Others can help me with bottle feeding while I pump. I have my own time

Cons:

- Washing bottles

- Pumping almost all the time to keep the supply up

Your milk supply is based on 3 categories:

1. The oversupply mum

- very prone to engorgement and has abundance of milk

2. Just right mum

- not much engorgement and supply is just nice for baby

3. Under supply mum

- not much milk supply and dependent on formula milk

For my first child, I was an under supply mum. I was suffering from depression as I kept questioning why I didn’t have much milk. I ate lactation cookies and bakes, my confinement nanny made so much lactation soup for me to drink. I even hired an LC to my house for a private consultation. NOTHING WORKED. I resorted to giving my baby formula milk and I felt like a failure. I’ve heard so much good things and brainwashing info about how fm is bad for your baby and bm is the best. I was lost. There was no one to hand hold and guide me what to do. How to establish the pumping routine. Which pump is the best. What’s my flange size.

Eventually, I came to terms when I see my baby still growing and developing so well. Honestly, there wasn’t much difference between him and a fully bm baby. So, mummies who are struggling on this, I understand the frustration and distress that you’re going through. I’ve been there too. It’s most important that you’re happy and be there for your baby. It really doesn’t matter whether your baby drinks bm or fm. If you have bm, good for you. Otherwise, fm works fine too!

For my 2nd kid, I was determined to give a last try to make it work. I’m truly glad to have met this macik who has a pumping programme in place and hand held me. I’m a just nice mum after going through her programme. My baby was fully bm and only takes fm at night so that he can lasts longer.

I’m currently still pumping and here are some tips to share:

1. Buy sunflower lecithin and take it everyday. Very important not to have any clogged ducts.

2. Spectra C is THE PUMP to go

3. Buy a hands free pump bra

4. Each normal pump is 30min. Power pump will be 45min. Use power pump if you’ve missed your pumping time for 2 hours or more

5. You do not have to wash your pump after every pump. You can fridge it and only wash once a day.

#RealTalk #motherhood #breastfeedingjourney