I'm a 1.5 week old mummy and i'm happy to report that the breastfeeding journey has been ok thus far. Isaac started suckling at my breast a few hours after birth, and i laid him on my side with the help of the nurse. The act of moving to the left and right sides were a bit painful especially after the c-section, but i perservered and it was bearable subsequently. And i was delighted when Isaac suckled immediately when put to the breast, and i sure hoped he was getting the pre-milk aka colostrum, which contains a host of antibodies:) And i continued to breastfeed Isaac throughout my stay at the hospital, though i'm not sure how much milk he got out of it.
Well, you always have this ideal picture of how breastfeeding should be - that the milk will come in soon enough to feed your hungry baby and everything will be hunky-dory. But reality sets in - on the 2nd night (12 Sep), Isaac felt restless, was crying and kept searching for my breast despite being put to my breasts for 20 minutes each. My mum told me that Isaac is hungry and suggested that i supplement my breastfeeding with formula. We also checked with the nurse who said that the baby is probably hungry. So, we made the decision to give him formula (Nan 1). Isaac slept like a baby after that. And we all felt reassured. Then when my mum went home, at around 9plus, Isaac regurgitated milk when Chee Meng was carrying him which sent Chee Meng into a frenzy. Being a first-time parent, Chee Meng kept worrying if he was okay and if Isaac spat out milk coz he did not carry him properly. He ran straight out of the room and sought the nurses' help and one of the nursing sister ran to take over Isaac from his arms immediately. Being first-time parents, we were so worried so much so that i regretted giving him formula. Chee Meng went back to the nursery 10 minutes later to check if Isaac is ok.. and Chee Meng told me subsequently that Isaac just looked at him from his cot and seemed ok. Maybe Isaac was thinking "Daddy, i only spat out some milk, which is normal... why are you so worried?". Well, hopefully:)
I checked with Isaac's paediatrician, Dr YY Yip, the next morning after he checked Isaac about him regurgitating milk after formula and also sought advice from him if i did the right thing by giving him formula. Dr Yip said that it's normal for babies to regurgitate some bit of milk after feeding. As for starting Isaac on formula, Dr Yip said that it's ok to give formula otherwise the baby would be hungry and restless and may develop jaundice if he continues to stay hungry as his body would then break down the protein in his body to fulfill his needs. I felt reassured and less guilty after Dr Yip's explanation. And Isaac continued to be fed formula if he is still restless after breastfeeding. I also took the opportunity to take a rest on the third night by asking the nurses to feed him formula if he is hungry and boy, it was the best 8 hour sleep i had after delivery. I felt recharged and revitalised coz i slept less than 10 hours in 3 days after my c-section.
The decision not to breastfeed that night also caused my nipple to become a bit dry (or maybe it was already dry prior to that:)) I also had a little bit of bleeding on my left nipple and the nurse asked me to buy Medela's PureLan to apply. The nurse also wheeled in a breastpump to see if my milk has arrived. Upon pumping, there were a few droplets of milk which the nurse used to soothe my dry nipple. But i could still see dry scaps around the nipple which meant that anymore suckling by Isaac would aggravate it. Well, this is the first reality check and set-back to my breastfeeding journey.
We were discharged from the hospital on 15 Sep and prior to my discharge, i had asked my mum to help me prepare a tin of Nan 1 so that i can feed Isaac in case he gets hungry. And as my confinement nanny only arrived at 4pm that day, we had to handle Isaac on our own for about 3 hours. Isaac obviously enjoyed the car ride very very much that he continued to sleep way past his feeding time - for almost 5 hours!! Hence, we decided that we had to wake him up for milk and i made him formula. And being a first time inexperienced mummy, i even overdosed on formula!! But luckily the nanny came soon after and took over! Phew!! I'm also very lucky to have a very good nanny who encourages me to breastfeed and always telling me that breastmilk is the best!
Breastfeeding really takes a lot of perserverance and determination and i must admit that there were times when i was so tired that i really felt like giving up and just give Isaac formula. But luckily, the nanny also encourages me to continue on and that breastmilk is good for the baby. And when i'm tired, she'll take over the feeding with formula so that i can rest and a good sleep really does wonders. I really appreciate her support in the breastfeeding journey.
Well, 1.5 weeks into mummyhood, my breastmilk is steadily increasing and i'm able to pump about 1.5 ounce of milk even after feeding Isaac. I hope the milk will come flowing, or perhaps even overflowing soon, so that we can stop feeding him formula and let Isaac be a totally breastfed baby! Another positive thing about breastfeeding - it allows me to bond with Isaac!!
Yes, breastmilk and breastfeeding is the best!
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