Breastfeeding Random Points

Assalamualaikum and Hello!

Breastfeeding is a topic that can have so many questions!especially to new moms. I believe even if you succeeded to breastfeed your child, you may not know 100% about breastfeeding (I am still breastfeeding my 1 year old daughter but I still have a lot to learn!Even my mom who breastfed her 5 children still learning!). If you have a smooth breastfeeding journey, then you may not know the challenges others faced and how to overcome it. That is why you can see famous breastfeeding consultants like Gina (founder of The Breastfeeding Advocates Network FB group) & Suraya (Founder of Lunatots) have had so many challenges in their personal breastfeeding journeys.

What I would like to share in this post are random points on breastfeeding according to what I can think of right now. Hopefully I can edit this post as I learn.

1. Choose a breastfeeding friendly hospital! Make sure the hospital has a policy like they can only give your baby other than breast milk with your signed consent! If no agreement, they should not give your baby anything! Hospital that allows baby to room in with you is the best. Only when you are tired, you can ask them to bring to their nursery.

2. No matter normal delivery or c-section, you would want to hold your baby to your skin and nurse as soon as possible after birth. This can allow your baby to have immediate reflex to suck. I have visited 3 babies who was born through c-section and only brought to their mother after few hours to nurse. It is very hard to teach the babies to suck! Tell your doctor your wish to breastfeed during your last weeks of pregnancy.

3. Do not worry if you cannot see any milk coming out from your breast after delivery because of these points:
a. babies can actually live without any milk for the first 2 to 3 days after they were born. They have storage from what they consume in the womb. Butttt yes, your baby can get jaundice because of this. Just keep direct latch (DL) breastfeed.
b. the first few days are actually colostrum which is drops of yellow thick liquid. Since it is only drops, you may not be able too see it since your baby has sucked it in!hehehe.
c. babies stomach on delivery is just as big as a cherry. They only need little by little to push that storage they had from the womb by pee and poopoo (black color).

4. You may have breast milk and your baby pee and poopoo alright but still has jaundice. Do not stop to breastfeed!! The problem is not your milk! Stop or reduce the herbs (ginger etc) or any alcohol (for non-muslim) you are taking during confinement. Some babies do have prolong jaundice. Just keep breastfeeding. Remember: "susu ibu adalah yang terbaik!" even the formula milk companies have to stress this!

5. Newborn babies like to sleep for long hours especially on their 2nd and 3rd day. Wake them up every 2-3 hours and nurse/feed them. You must do this if you do not want to go back to the hospital for their jaundice! I know you need the rest too but trust me, if you need to go to the hospital, it will be less rest! Try your best to wake your baby up. Tickle them, put cold hands on them, loosen up their clothes/blanket etc.

6. Andddd after the long hours of sleeping period endssss, then come the period of wants to suck only. It is normal! You breastfeed for 40minutes, baby let go, you try putting your baby in the cot or on the mattress, baby cries, baby wants to suck some more. Yup normal! They are not used of our world. They want to be hugged all the time, suck for comfort all the time. Patience is the key, it will get easier ;)

7. Your breast feel hard and feel there is a lump? You feel pain? You see redness on your breast? This is breast engorgement or worse it can become mastitis. If your breast start to feel hard, massage with hot water bag and continue to DL baby. After finish DL, massage to empty your breast. If too painful to do on your own, call your husband, ask him to massage like trying to make the milk comes out. If still doesn't work, and you keep getting fever on and off, go to see doctor! You may need to take antibiotics to avoid pus (nanah) in your gland. But this antibiotic won't help to decrease the lump, you need to continue DL and massage. I don't dare to give advice by putting cabbage because there are cases where their milk supply decreases after putting cabbage.

8. If your nipple cracked or feel so painful, you may apply your breast milk to the nipple everytime after DL. You may also apply nipple cream. There is also like a gel breast pad you can try to ease the pain. But do not stop to breastfeed on that particular breast. Your baby's saliva and his action of sucking is the best way to sooth your breast. Your breast needs time to adjust and to be soft for baby to suck. Be strong ya ;)

9. You can still breastfeed even if you have fever or not feeling well. Wear a mask, wash your hands frequently to avoid spreading the germs. It is even better to breastfeed because the antibodies your body is producing/activating to fight your illness will be shared with your baby. Your baby will have antibodies of these illness although they have not experience them. My daughter had her first fever when she was 9 month old and second one on her 1st birthday. Alhamdulillah.

10. When to start pumping? This depends on your need. If you are stay at home mom, I don't see any reason to rush into pumping. Unless you have breast engorgement and would like to pump the milk out. If you intend to store some frozen breast milk (FBM) for future use when you get back to work, you may start as early as 2 weeks after birth. But I think the best is to let your baby create the natural supply and demand in the first month (DL only). This is also good so that you don't feel tired in DL and pumping as well. After 1 month when you get your energy back, then you may start pumping.

11. How to start pumping? This is based on my experience. Few ways. If your baby has sessions where she/he will sleep more than 2 hours, you may take that opportunity to pump, for start. If your baby consistently DL every hour or every 2 hours even at night, you may want to pump after she/he DL. Do not worry if there is no milk coming out after DL, just pump, you will see the result after 1 week. Another way is to choose 1 session in a day to do power pumping. See next point.

12. Power pumping??Power pumping is choosing 1 session in a day (the best is early morning) and pump for 3 cycles. Pump for 10 minutes, rest for 5 or 10 minutes (while resting, drink, eat), pump again for 10 minutes,  rest for 5 or 10 minutes (while resting, drink, eat), pump again for 10 minutes. Even if you pump and there is no milk coming out, just pump. Insyaallah you will see the result in 1-2 weeks. This is actually creating extra demand so that your body will produce extra supply.

Erm I can actually continue on pumping, storing breast milk etc. but I think it is best to separate that in different post or else this post will get so long! Let's just keep this purely on breastfeeding. Let me know if there are other points to add in! I am hoping to use this as my guideline for my next baby as well (insyaAllah).

Till next update!

That 'I' & 'Me',
Hayfa