breastfeeding

Exclusive breastfeeding

2:48 PM
Just to share about the reasons why babies under the age of 6 months do not require ANYTHING other than breastmilk/F. Please do not feed water to your infant under any circumstances.

 If your LO has diarrhea, increase the frequency of breastfeeding. No sugar water, no milo, no iced water, no ribena. Yes, breastmilk IS like magic water. 
It can be used for nourishment as milk, as a moisturiser, as nipple cream (water?!). Maybe someone should package and market breastmilk as the original 神奇水 (miracle water). 

 As parents, we should protect our young and be firm especially when it comes to our child's health.

 Some family members may insist on feeding water to your baby due to reasons such as

 1. Weather is too hot
-> Healthy newborns enter the world well hydrated and remain so if breastfed exclusively, day and night, even in the hottest, driest climates.

 2. Baby does not seem to be hydrated enough
-> Breastmilk is 88 percent water. 
The water content of breastmilk consumed by an exclusively breastfed baby meets the water requirements for infants and provides a considerable margin of safety.


3. Baby has diarrhoea
-> In the case of mild diarrhea, increased frequency of breastfeeding is recommended. When an infant has moderate to severe diarrhea, caregivers should immediately seek the advice of health workers and continue to breastfeed, as recommended in the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines.


 Infants that appear dehydrated may require Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT), which should only be given upon advice of a health worker.

 Exclusive Breastfeeding
confinement

FREEDOM!

8:24 AM

"You left me in JAIL?!"
I'm still on confinement and had this urge to go to IKEA to get something I needed but I kept getting blocked by my aunts and dad. So I bought what I needed off Carousell. Fine. 

But YESTERDAYYYY. My king sized bed arrived without bedding. My aunt insisted I not leave the house and that she would get a set for me (no thanks). 

After my bath and settling baby, I told my dad "I have something to tell you...I...want...to..get...my...bedding.."

My dad replied "I already know. You didn't have to tell me". 

And that is how I got 2 hours of FREEDOM from baby. We went to the nearby mall, got my stuff and did some retail therapy. 2 cute diaper bags yayyyy. 

My dad did insist that I wear long pants before going out though. He also told me to not tell my aunt. Hahahahaha.

I even waved to baby from outside the door and laughed at her "HAHA HAVE FUN IN JAIL!". Exact words.
breastfeeding

Single pumping

8:21 AM
Mummies who pump on double sides simultaneously + are dissatisfied w supply can try single pumping and see if it helps.
My spectra supports double pumping but I have been using it as a single pump ever since I read that Pigeon only produces single pumps because babies also suckle 1 side at a time.

I found it logical. I pump abt 15 mins each side, similar to how baby suckles. Massage mode for 5 mins first before expressing. Milk comes in even during massage mode.
No pumping schedule. I follow my boobie schedule. When my boobs hurt, I look for baby. If she is too full, I turn to my pump.
P.S. Cheapo Daiso LED nightlight in the back. It's too bright so I covered it with some containers.
P.P.S. My dad saw me with my bottle and said that my supply was "scary" and he split it into 50ml feeds. I still think the magic is in as little stress as possible i.e. relaxed attitude & mindset + a healthy diet + frequent latching and/or pumping.

* DISCLAIMER *
Before you even start, please make sure you know how to latch baby on correctly and the various breastfeeding positions you can use for the comfort of both you and baby.
Some mothers get sad at low supply or at their baby's bad latch, but sometimes I wonder if it is because they didn't learn the techniques correctly. If you think you might be one of them, kindly seek the help of a lactation consultant who will re-teach you right from the basics.

Anyway, I don't know if I'm being overly confident or just stubborn, but I don't believe in nipple confusion. Today, my baby was fussing and didn't want to drink from her usual position (cross-cradle). I got annoyed and chided her firmly. "Elise, you'd better drink now. Do you want the football hold or not? DRINK". Note that I did not raise my voice or shout at her, but I used a very firm tone. I picked it up from the nurses at NUH.
There were a few nurses who came by at night to help me latch, but there was one particular nurse who made an impression on me. She was very no-nonsense. She ruffled my daughter's hair and chided her in a firm tone to make her latch and drink.
I am really, really happy because with the techniques I learnt, I became more confident in breastfeeding. I could only imagine if nobody taught me and left me to my own devices. Before the nurses taught me, I was so sad that baby didn't want to latch when I put the breast to her mouth.

Now, we are doing awesome. My dad, hub and I even predict and pre-empt her cries so she doesn't even get to cry sometimes. She is 9 days old today. 


breastfeeding

Rocks for boobs

9:14 AM
I just had the sweetest 5 hour sleep of my life. I practically concussed.
Lack of sleep makes you do dangerous things. I was nursing under a cover yesterday (1st time nursing in public!) at the polyclinic and due to some administrative error, I ended up spending more than an hour waiting for nothing. I was so annoyed, I stomped downstairs to complain whilst nursing my baby in a football hold with only 1 hand. I was so angsty. On hindsight, it was very very dangerous. 1 misstep and I could have lost my baby.
Lack of sleep made me flare up easily at the tiniest things too. I was annoyed at people who wanted to help me with my baby. Annoyed with my husband who was trying to make me finish my confinement food (impossible by the way, the portion is enough for a sumo wrestler). Angry with the world. I cried over so many silly things.
So last night, I let my dad do night duty and went to sleep. Sweet, sweet sleep. I woke up with a wet top and rocks for boobs but I regained my sanity. As for my baby, she slept really well as I latched her for about 20 min on each side before handing her over to my dad. When I woke up and looked for them, my dad had already woken her up and fed her EBM so here I am with my pump. My best friend.

Essentials for breastfeeding:
1) My Brest Friend nursing pillow
Other than its intended purpose of letting you cuddle your baby whilst nursing, you can also use it as a cushion to let baby sleep when you want her close to you.

2) Breastpump
Without it, prepare for rock hard boobs which are crazily painful.



breastfeeding

Boob Milk

5:03 PM
My baby is 6 days old and I'm intending to breastfeed her fully for at least 6 months.

Most of the time, I direct latch her but when our timings clash (i.e. when she isn't hungry when I am engorged or when I need to catch some sleep), I pump it out. It's also a way for my dad and my husband to experience feeding the baby. I'm blessed that my dad and husband are pro breastfeeding as well.

NUH (hosp I delivered in) suggested no teats, bottles and pacifiers till at least 1 month old. I won't be using pacifiers, but I strongly believe my baby can distinguish between a bottle and the unique scent of my boobies. I understand the concern over nipple confusion, but in the worst case scenario that it actually happens, I'll take solace in the fact that she will still be consuming breastmilk instead of formula.

She drank 80ml of EBM today at one sitting. I wonder if it's too much for her.

I'm not sure if it's considered an oversupply, but it's definitely more than enough for my baby.

I would like to encourage mommies here who might be facing problems to not give up. Most importantly, don't stress yourself. Block out all negative influences and believe in your body.

I've always loved babies. I intentionally chose an easy contract job during my pregnancy and had close to zero stress.

I didn't hire a CL against the advice of my relatives and instead ordered confinement food delivery which has generous portions of fish, pork, chicken, soup and red date tea for lunch and dinner. I bathe with confinement herbs and refrain from cold liquids.

In general, I just do whatever I want and believe that my body can provide for my baby.
Relaxed cows which graze freely produce more milk compared to stressed out factory cows. I have lots to be stressed about. My contract job just ended. My foreigner hubby is still seeking employment. My dad has quit his job to look after me and baby. I've put all these at the back of my mind and trust that things will settle themselves.

TL;DR: Relax. Believe in your body. Block out silly people and comments. Rely on your support system - family and friends who encourage and assist.