The First Chapter of My Breastfeeding Journey

I am a formula fed baby. Oh, my Mama did breastfed me but only for a short period of time, less than a month according to her. Formula milk was not a problem for us since my Papa worked for Nestle Philippines and a monthly supply of formula milk was one of his benefits as a regular employee. My Mama told me that her milk dried up fast because she likes sleeping with hands over her head.

When my youngest sister gave birth to my niece, she was able to breastfeed but also for a limited time only. She chose to work immediately because she got pregnant at an early age and unfortunately, her then boyfriend is irresponsible so she felt she needed to work to support the needs of her daughter. Since most of the time her salary is not enough, my other sister and I would buy my niece’s milk. I even remember complaining about their prices.

As my closest friends got married and had kids, I never thought to question their choice of providing nourishment to their babies. Some of them breastfed their babies while others have chosen the formula. I have never given it much thought actually until I found out that soon I’ll be having my own baby to feed.

Before I thought the only advantage of breastfeeding is you get to save money. Of course, upon reading the chapter about breastfeeding in my copy of What to Expect When Expecting I was immediately corrected of my misconception. During the childbirth class we attended, our instructor Miss Chiqui Brosas further widened my knowledge about breastfeeding. Also, J is a breastfed baby and aside from the occasional common cold and fever he doesn’t get sick easily as a child and even up to today. Unlike me who got hospitalized almost every year during my childhood days. Being breastfed for only a short period of time might be a factor for this. With awareness that breastmilk is the best food for babies I decided with J’s support that I will breastfeed our little Queen B at least for a year.

The hospital where I had my appointments with my OB is a breastfeeding advocate hospital. They strictly comply with the Department of Health’s Unang Yakap (First Embrace) Campaign. J and I right away decided that I’ll give birth there.  Tip to all mommies-to-be who want to breastfeed choose a hospital or lying inn that is known for their strong advocacy regarding breastfeeding. At St. John the Baptist Medical Center, we were not allowed to bring in bottles and formula, not even a pacifier. Every mom who had just given birth are encouraged to breastfeed their babies. I attribute part of my success with breastfeeding to having given birth at a hospital which let my little Queen B latched on me shortly after birth. My first embrace with my baby is such a precious moment that I really wished that it was captured on film. Unfortunately, St. John is only a small private hospital. They are not equipped to let even J, much more a photographer, be with me during delivery whether I had a normal delivery or the CS delivery which I had. Nonetheless, that first latch with her beautiful eyes looking up at me is forever engraved in my memories.

Part of the Unang Yakap protocol is the immediate rooming in of the baby with her mother so ten minutes after my arrival at my room our little Queen B soon followed in her bassinet. Even though I can hardly move yet I didn’t hesitate to ask J to let Georgina latch on me when she cried. I learned that continuous latching of a baby will stimulate one’s breast to produce milk. During our 3-day stay at the hospital, I breastfed on demand and sometimes I even requested J to wake our baby up so she wouldn’t miss a feeding. She feeds almost every 1.5 to 2 hours. I am glad I read up on breastfeeding beforehand because I never doubted my ability to produce milk. Mature milk will not come in until the third or fourth day but my baby is getting colostrum which is very important.

Mature milk came along side with engorgement on the fourth day when we were already at home. Pumping is not advised until the 6^th week but I begged J to bring out my breast pump so I can lessen my engorgement. I only pumped a small amount. I just decreased the engorgement so Georgina can latch on properly then it’s up to her to drain the boobs! I think I went from cup size A to C or even higher during that extreme engorgement stage and my breasts literally felt like rocks. It was such a relief when my milk ducts began unclogging. I’m thankful that excruciating experience only happened once.

Another challenge I faced at the beginning of my breastfeeding journey is nipple pain. According to lactation consultant Sue Huml’s study, 80 to 90 percent of breastfeeding women experience some nipple soreness which in some can progress to cracking and extreme nipple pain. Unfortunately, I am not part of the 10-20% lucky breastfeeding women. The first minute of Georgina’s latch is always the worst part. I had no other option but to close my eyes and wait for the pain to subside. I had begun to dread every feeding time because of my nipple pain. Blessedly, around the third week Georgina already perfected her latch so no more pain for me, well, until she learned clamping her gums around it during her playful times at the breast. I’m definitely not excited about teething! The only nipple cream I had was Mustela’s Nursing Comfort Balm which unhappily did not provide any comfort to my very sore and cracking nipples. Warm moist cloths did a better job of providing a small amount of relief.

Breastmilk is easily digested by a newborn’s tiny stomach. This means he needs to feed every 1.5 to 2 hours in the first week. By the second week, nursing can be at every 2 to 2.5 hours. On the third week, the almost every hour feeding occurred because of the so-called growth spurt. This also means very little sleep for the mom. Our bodies are still recovering from giving birth but we can’t sleep for eight straight hours because we have to make sure our little one gets his required supply of milk. This is where the great advice “sleep when the baby sleeps” comes in but honestly it is easier said than done.

Nursing my newborn baby takes 15 to 30 minutes. After that I have to hold her at the burping position for another 30 minutes. I also need to check her diaper since newborns are notorious with their pooping after every meal. After changing her diaper and making sure that she is still asleep, I still have 1 to 1.5 hours for myself which I use to take a bath myself, eat my meals, or do other chores I need to do. Before I know it, she is awake and hungry again. I’m lucky if I can sleep for two straight hours. Blessedly, George began sleeping longer hours at night when she turned a month old. Two became four hours then six and nowadays she can sleep for 9-10 hours straight. We are still working towards the 12 hours straight sleep that is recommended for children in her age bracket.

I am now a stay-at-home mom so unlike working breastfeeding moms I don’t have to pump milk religiously but I did experience it for a few days. When I had to pass some requirements, submit my students’ grades, and attend a required seminar I brought along with me my pump, some ice packs and milk storage bottles. Aside from that I still have another bag for my other things. I remember taking a break every 3 hours to pump so my baby will be able to have milk the next day. It will really take a lot of dedication to continue doing that if I had gone back to work instead of staying at home to care for my daughter. Breastfeeding while at home is far easier. I still pump but since Georgina is more mobile now and therefore requires constant attention I am already thankful to have an output of 3-5 ounces of milk in a day.

Just earlier, my Mama said that one disadvantage of breastfeeding is that my baby is so attached to me. When the skies turn dark, most of the time it is only me that can soothe Georgina.  Not even J can calm her down once she becomes fussy at night. Mommy and her breasts can (most of the time) solve the problem easily.

For me, aside from nipple soreness at the start, not being able to wear whatever I want especially when going out is one disadvantage of breastfeeding. I always have to consider that I’ll be nursing my baby when dressing up. Most of my going out clothes before were dresses which of course are not breastfeeding friendly. These days a blouse paired either with pants or shorts is my usual get up. My dresses will have to wait until Georgina weans from the breast. Well, I did get to do some shopping because I don’t have a lot of blouses. Another tip to mommies-to-be who want to breastfeed, start investing on nursing wear.

Another disadvantage though not as much as nowadays is leakage. At the beginning, while my little Queen B is nursing at one breast milk will be dripping from the other. A towel should always be on hand to wipe out the milk or else a change of clothes will be required. An emergency trip to the mall solved this predicament when I bought several pairs of washable breast pads and I even got extra pairs from J's friend Shellyn. 

My little Queen B is already six months old. We had started introducing solids but breastmilk is still her main source of nutrition. It will still be a while before breastmilk becomes the complementary food. Most days she feeds every four hours but recently she is no longer satisfied with one breast. She had to have the other one as well. Engorgement is rare these days. I get nipple soreness from time to time when she gets playful with my nipples and starts pulling and twisting them but it is nothing compared to what I experienced before. I believed I have gotten the hang of it.

Last weekend, my cousin’s daughter spent the night here at home with her grandmother (my aunt). They stayed here at our room. She woke up at around 3:00 AM. My aunt had to wake up and prepare her bottle. Georgina usually wakes up at around 6:00 AM for her first feed of the day. Since I am still sleepy around that time, I just offer my breast and continue sleeping. She can already burp on her own so I no longer have to place her on a burping position, watch the clock and wait until 30 minutes had passed. We just do the side lying position to breastfeed. We get up at around 9:00 AM or when J had already arrived from his night shift at work. My aunt is a little envious that middle of the night feedings (or in my case early morning feeding) is quite easy for me.

Breastfeeding is different for each mom. Some mothers have it easy. Their babies achieved the deep latch immediately so no nipple soreness for them. Majority were like me who had to struggle at first but later on succeed. A few were continually challenged like the story of a fellow but more famous blogger Patty Laurel. Based on what she said here, she thinks she had experienced all known predicaments with breastfeeding. Each breastfeeding mom has their own story to tell but I’m sure we are all alike in one thing. All the pain, engorgement, milk leakage, sleepless nights, and other dilemmas are worth it when we see our babies thriving. As the pounds add up on our babies and we know it is because of our golden liquid, any mom will gladly breastfeed again and again until it is time to wean. That is how great a mother’s love can be!

I am eternally grateful to our dear Lord for giving me this gift of being able to nourish His other gift, my little Queen B. Your creations are indeed perfect! Thank you for using my body for this purpose. Every time I want to give up I know my extra strength and dedication came from you. On our last check, Georgina now weighs 6.3 kg. It is within the average and healthy range though on the lower end. She might not be the chubby baby a lot of parents would love to have but she is continually hitting milestone after milestone. She can now sit unsupported. She can even stand up by herself. She is so active. I have no doubt that she is healthy and it is because of my milk that came from you my dear Father.

I am also thankful to my husband, J, who is always there to support me. During those nights when I was so tired and sleepy, you took over burping George even though you just got home from work and was also tired. Thank you for holding my hand at my breastfeeding journey’s painful moments. It made me feel not alone at this aspect of parenting.

Thank you also to my fellow breastfeeding mothers for sharing your knowledge and experiences in books, forums, and other forms of media. I’m sure your advices will continue to help and encourage other moms to breastfeed.

Take note that yes I’m advocating breastfeeding but I will never condemn moms who have chosen to formula-feed their babies. I believe that breastfeeding is a choice a woman should decide for herself. No one has the right to force their own beliefs on others. Of course, I do hope that every mother’s choice is an informed one. There are a lot of misconceptions regarding breastfeeding. Without proper education about breastfeeding, a lot of parents were led to believe that formula feeding is the only way to nourish their child. Whether a mother breastfeed or formula-feed, if you are doing it out of love our babies will know and be happy about it.

I am now at the second half of my initial target period of breastfeeding my baby. I am actually hoping to continue until she is two years old or even older. I hope you, my readers (I hope I actually do have readers) join me as I continue my breastfeeding journey. 

Let me end this post with this quote:

A newborn baby has only three demands.

They are warmth in the arms of its mother,

food from her breasts,

and security in the knowledge of her presence.

Breastfeeding satisfies all three.

-       Grantly Dick-Read

#xoxo