My Breastfeeding Experience and Tips (Part 1)

Before I became pregnant, I had never thought much about breastfeeding (well, who would?). However, I did have the thought of wanting to breastfeed my baby to decrease the likelihood of getting breast cancer, the disease that took my mother away from my family.

Knowing nothing much about breastfeeding, I attended the antenatal class prepared by Penang Adventist Hospital in which I was going to deliver my baby. The speaker was a peaditrician, Dr. Pong Kwai Meng. Within an hour, he shared with us the importance of breastfeeding, the difficulties we might face and the possible solutions, the myths of breastfeeding etc. He was indeed a breastfeeding guru. He joked that the only thing he lacked of was the hands-on breastfeeding experience - because a man can't possibly breastfeed! Among the statements that I remember clearly were, "Cow milk is meant for cow, human should take human milk", "Nothing can replace breast milk. What your baby needs most is not an expensive toy nor pretty clothes, but your breast milk". I thank Dr. Pong for enlighting my spouse and I about breastfeeding. Without his talk and his support in the later days as my son's peadiatrician, I would not have succeeded in breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the most challenging task I have ever faced in my life and I had a very tough time. (comparable to handling my mother's death, or rather, managing my emotions to face her sickness as well as her death.)

Before my delivery I was very determined and all prepared mentally to breastfeed exclusively my baby for as long as possible, at least for the first 6 months. However, breastfeeding did not "just happen naturally". It needs to be learnt and it takes practice to master the skill. Like holding a newborn for the first time, I felt so awkward trying to adjust my position, turning the baby towards my breast, making sure he latched on properly, and when everything was set, I had to remind myself to relax. My baby boy who was born after 36 hours of labor pain was a very impatient infant. When he was hungry he would start crying and his voice got louder with each passing second, until he got the milk in his mouth. It always took a while before he was able to latch on properly and after a few failures, he would start screaming until his face turned red. I needed to try again and again, putting his mouth next to my breast until the position was right. Finally, when he could latch on properly, he would start to calm down. However, the first few sucks were always so strong (because he was hungry) that I almost screamed as it hurt. In addition, as a first time mother, my breast milk was not produced instantly; because he did not get enough food for each feed, within an hour or two he would start crying again. The cycle repeated. By the end of the thrid day, I was so exhausted, both physically and mentally. I had painful nipples due to frequent sucking; my neck and back ached as a result of long attempts to breastfeed; I did not have enough sleep. This was the time I was discharged from the hospital and I could not get help or support from nurses anymore at home.

I was fortunate that my husband was as determined as I was to make exclusive breastfeeding a success. Without his support I would not have succeeded. We did not purchase any infant milk powder at home and the only food the baby could get was my breast milk. Again and again, we tried and tried, ignoring "friendly advice" and nags from the confinement lady (For Chinese in Asia, it's common to hire a confinement lady to help taking care of mummy and baby for one month after delivery) that my breast milk was not sufficient and the baby was starving. As my son's name suggests, determination is the key to success. By the end of the first week, we were coping well and the only problem was the sharp pain I had to endure during the first few sucks after latching on. By the end of the second week, I could multitask while breastfeeding - reading a book, talking on phone, even surfing Internet! Practice makes perfect! I found pillows very useful to support my hand during breastfeeding. I also used lying down position to breastfeed sometimes, especially at nights so that I could rest while breastfeeding.

It's a wonderful feeling once you master the skills. I enjoyed every moment when I breastfed, knowing that's the best for both of us, and seeing the baby enjoying the milk was the best of motherhood. In terms of nutrition, breast milk is the best, babies can absorb everything and digest very fast, some (including my son) pooh after every feed with watery stools. They also feel most secure and comfortable in mummy's arm, sucking mummy's breast milk. As I breastfed my baby exclusively, I did not need to prepare nor boil milk bottles. When I went out with my baby, I did not need to pack a bag for milk bottles, milk powder and warm water. When the baby needed a feed, I just needed to find a place to breastfeed him. Nowadays most shopping malls prepare such facilities to support breastfeeding mothers. Or sometimes I did it in the car. I found it convenient to wear breastfeeding bra with a breastfeeding pad (to absorb breast milk when it leaks) under a T-shirt. I prefer washable pad to disposable as I found it more comfortable and cost-saving.

For a mother who plans to return to work, or to be away from the baby sometimes, it's best to start pumping breast milk in between the feeds as early as possible and storing them in the fridge so that someone else can feed the baby when the mother is away. Breast milk can last 6 hours under normal room temperature, 3 days in fridge and 3 months in freezer. As a first time mother, it was tough for me to stock up the breast milk in the fridge as I hardly had any left after each feed and I was tired most of the time. But to make sure that I had at least sufficient if not extra breast milk for the baby, I drank a lot of liquid, including water, soup, milk. Warm liquid especially will trigger milk production almost immediately. I also tried to rest as much as possible, relax, be happy... all these help in producing breast milk. Massaging the breast can help to improve milk flow. The most important point however, is mentality. If you believe that you do not have enough breast milk for the baby, then you will not. Parents start to give babies supplement (milk powder) thinking they do not have enough from breast milk, causing less demand on breast milk, and less supply to be produced. The actual fact is that every mother has the ability to produce enough milk for her baby. When the baby sucks it will trigger the production of breast milk and our body will naturally adjust to provide the right amount of breast milk. It's a simple theory of supply and demand. There will only be supply if there is demand.

I was happy and proud that I went through the first hurdle to be able to breastfeed my baby exclusively. The next challenge is, how long can it last? My next challenge came as I returned to work...

...to be continued...