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| Nestle NAN HA for >10 months |
Breastfeeding has indeed been quite a journey for me. It started even before I was pregnant - I knew I wanted to give my baby(s) the most natural source of nutrients. (I will not turn this into a 'Breast is Best' post.) However, this nagging feeling that I may not have enough kept worrying me (especially not being particularly well-endowed!).
When we found out I was expecting, I read up about the topic and spoke to mothers. These are some of the things I learnt:
- Engorgement is PAINFUL
- Why pump? Just latch.
- You WILL have milk, it's just a matter of when
- Perseverance is the key to success
Armed with these pearls of wisdom, I invested in a Medela Freestyle, and reminded Cal to knock sense into me if I ever wanted to give up at any point of time or for whatever reason.
On 3 May, 4.31pm, baby Cayden was welcomed into the world! After being cleaned and swaddled, I brought him close to me, and he immediately started rooting! 'That's a good sign!' I thought. Little was I to know that was the beginning of Cayden's ad-tit-tion (addiction to tits, a termed which Daddy coined, which I have shared more in another post.)
*warning single men without sisters who breastfeed should not read on*
I will add a 5th point to my list above: The first month is the WORST. Well, at least MY first month was the worst. My supply came on day 3 before we discharged from the hospital - I was sooo relieved! But then after that, I found I couldn't nap/sleep for >3 consecutive hours cos it was either my own biological clock going 'riiiing riiing, moo moo time', or the real baby is hungry. Since the baby can't be ignored, I tried ignoring the moo moo clock, but it was impossible to sleep with two rock-hard, painful lumps.
Week 2 was more of the same of week 1. Tiring, painful, doubts (why did Cayden puke? is he latching correctly?)... It was so difficult I really really wanted to give up.
Week 3 ok I'll give it my last shot. Get a lactation consultant to help and see what I'm doing wrong. Turns out the only 'problem' I had was that my supply was too abundant - I was filling up too quickly (hence engorgement) and my flow was too fast for newborn Cayden (that's why he pukes cos he can't drink fast enough). Solution (don't laugh) - chilled cabbages. For application, not consumption.
Week 4 And we thought the worse was over, until Cayden was diagnosed with breastmilk jaundice. After 5 days of home photo-therapy and 3D2N of hospitalization, we had to decide between (a) wait it out for is to clear naturally at 8 weeks, or (b) give formula for 5 days but risk him not wanting to latch after that. It was tempting to go for (b) becos we were guaranteed that the jaundice will go away after 5 days. But what if he didn't want to latch after that? What if he's not getting the best nutrients? On the flip side, I had to endure his little yellow face (and body) every day reminding me how I am the cause of his jaundice.
We went with (a) and the rest, as they say, is history.
Tomorrow Cayden will create new history by having his first taste of formula. With this journey coming to a (near) end, I look back with mostly fond memories despite the bumpy ride. For the sake of all those antibodies and quiet times we have together, yup, it's more than worth it :)
