Yeay!
So alhamdulillah it has been 6 months since Yusuf came into our life. And he's been nothing but wonderful. A super easy baby. Not saying that 'Ayyan was hard. But personally i think experience has taught us what to expect and how to deal with it.
Today I want to share about my first 6 month journey in breastfeeding Yusuf. I once wrote down about breastfeeding 'Ayyan. So having troubleshoot all the problems I had when breastfeeding him, I apply what I learnt when breastfeeding Yusuf.
Preparation
Before the baby arrives, make sure you have all the equipment ready. Breast pump, ebm bottles, deep freezer, nursing bras, storage bags, drying rack, sterilizer, silicone pump (will talk more about this later), a good pumping bag. You will never know how your delivery will turn up. Everyone hopes and pray for a smooth per vaginal delivery and a healthy baby. But who are we to decide if we end up having caesarean section, or baby end up in special care nursery / neonatal intensive care unit? So be prepared early , in case you are not able to direct feed your baby and need to pump and provide ebm instead.
Breast pump
One of the most crucial equipment you need to decide. We have so many varieties, manual or electric, single or double, and with so many brands to choose from. And i have people surviving 2 years breastfeeding with marmet technique (using hands alone). So what to look for in buying a pump? First you need to decide based on your situation. Working or stay at home. Working on your own or are you an employee. Type of working environment, do you easily get time off from your working table, or do you need to move about occasionally. Hours at work. Budget. How many parts does the pump have. But most importantly is choosing the correct pump for your breast. We all come in different sizes, so you really need too try it on. One of the shop that I know that allow you to try the pump before buying is Pump On The Go. Which pump am I using? I am using Lacte Duet Double Electric Pump, Medela Harmony Manual Pump and Treenie Silicone Milk Collector. Why so much? Haha.
The initial part
Once the baby arrives, I started latching and direct feeding him. For me, the milk comes right away. I have people asking how do I ensure that I have milk from the first day? Truthfully I don't know why Allah made it that way. Some people have milk from the first day, some don't. Dietary wise, I love drinking milk and dates. I don't eat dates only in Ramadhan. I eat it all year round. I have dates in my house all year round, because I like it. So that may be one of the reason that I may have milk early. Some people say their milk is little because their baby doesn't sleep long before they cry and ask for help milk again. Well, that is how it is with a newborn. You just have to accept the reality that you are not going to get a good night sleep for at least a month or so. The newborn stomach's is just the size of a small marble. So it easily get filled, and once they poop, they will want more milk. You just have to feed them hourly. Some says their baby latch for too long, is it because they are not full? My answer for this is, as long as they are peeing and pooping well, and their weight increases, that means that they are getting enough of your milk. They like to latch on to you because they feel safe doing so. They can hear your heart beat well, which they have been doing for the past 9 months in your uterus. So my advice is, for the first month, just cuddle and be with your baby as much as they want to. Just put a blind eye to all the house chores. Your spouse can take care of it. Get a daily maid if you need to.
Start stocking up
I started pumping on Day 3. The initial days, do not expect much to come out. Half an ounce to one ounce from each breast is good enough. I remembered when I had 'Ayyan, the initial days, I was always drenched with breastmilk. This time round, I am grateful that I have the Treenie Silicone Milk Collector. Well, you can actually buy any brand you want, it all does the same amazing thing. So while you are breastfeeding your baby from one side, you put the milk collector on the other side. And by the time you are done breastfeeding, you would probably have 1-2 oz in there. Every 3 hours, I will use my electric breastpump. Will there be anything that come out? Most of the times yes. And this will actually serve as demand signal to the brain to produce more. If my baby happens to feed at the time i need to pump, I will just do tandem pumping : pump on one side, and breastfeed on the other. One more thing that I tried was feeding my baby from only one side of breast in between pumping session. For example, from 7am till 10 am i will only give direct feed on my right breast. And at 10 am, i will pump my left breast while tandem feed on my right side. Then after 10 am, baby will feed at my left breast, until my next pumping session which is at one. While waiting for my pumping session, each time I feed the baby, I will put on the silicone milk collector on the side which is not being fed by. So it does sound like I am pumping 24-7.. haha, but it was how my initial days was. In conclusion, use the milk collector during feeding time and pump using your electrical breastpump every 3 hourly. Get it? This will ensure your milk supply increase and you are able to stock up for your baby before returning to work. When do I use my manual pump? When my pumping parts is still not dry or still in the basin waiting to be sterilized. And also when I am in the car travelling long distance. A bumpy ride is not a friend to electric breastpump. And less risk of everything getting tangled in a confined and small space like in the car.
A good pumping bag
My pumping is not only pretty but also spacious. Because it is so spacious, I can keep the tubing and the power supply attached to the motor at all time. So when I need to pump, I just have to connect the tubing to the suctioning part and I'm good to go. I don't even have to bring out the pump from the bag. I can even look at the screen from the top opening of the bag. With my old pumping bag which I used during 'Ayyan's time, I have to disconnect everything so that I can keep it in the bag, so each time I want to use it, I have to reconnect everything. I have to bring out the whole unit from the bag before using it. More hassle means you are more likely to be demotivated to doing pumping at work. I said so because that was what happen to me during my medical posting. Every time I need to pump, I imagine 40 minutes away from work not including walking to and fro the ward and the pantry. So, a good pumping bag is an additional motivating factor i must say.
Washing in between pumping?
The one mistake I did that also demoralise myself during 'Ayyan's time was that I washed all the parts each pumping session. Do you know how much time that takes? To air dry it and reassemble it back? Now I know that you don't actually need to wash and sterilize at every use. You just have to keep it in a cold place (your pumping bag or the fridge) in between the pumping session. Lacte duet comes with a cover for the breastshield, so I don't have to worry about hygiene. Those that doesn't have the cover, can keep the parts in the ziplock bag and just stash in it in the bag (the cold part) or in the fridge. So less time needed to put everything back together right? I sterilize once per day, when I get back home from work, together with all the used bottle Yusuf drank with throughout the day with his babysitter.
Pumping time
My first pumping session is usually around 5.30am - 6 am. During this time, abi will prepare EBM to be sent to babysitter. He'll also change the kids diapers. Then, I'll get ready for work. Goes to work at around 7.15 am. Send off the children to their babysitter and then reaches the hospital by 7.50am ish. Work starts at 8 am in the clinic or getting passover in the ward. Then by 11am I'll have another pumping session. Continue with work a little bit. Lunch break and zuhur prayer from 1-2pm. At 3 pm another pumping session. This one can get a little bit delayed to 4pm as we tend to give appointments at 3pm. Asar prayer before work finishes. Work finishes at 5 if I am not oncall. Pick up the kids and drive back home. Quickly stash EBM in the fridge, ice packs in the freezer and dunk all the bottles that need to be washed in luke warm water. Defrost whatever I want to eat for dinner. Cook rice. Then, around 5.45pm, bring the kids to the playground. Around 6.30-6.45 pm return from playground. Clean myself up and then change Yusuf into his sleep wear. I will let 'Ayyan play with water a bit long in the toilet. While he plays, I will perform Maghrib prayer and have another pumping session around 7-7.30 pm. Then we head back downstairs for dinner. This time I'll dunk the breastpump parts into the lukewarm water. I'll whip up some 30 minutes dinner. We dine together. Abi will take care of the washing the breastpump parts and bottles, washing the dinner plates, pots and pans. And then he'll sterilize them all. Meanwhile, I'll prepare the EBM for the next day. Take out the frozen ones to be thawed and labelling the bottles with number accordingly. And we'll play a bit with the kids and do whatever we need to do before heading to bed. If I did not pass out entirely, I'll pump another session before sleeping. So in total around 4-5 pumping session per day.
Husband : a helping hand
Your husband need to be very helpful if you want this to work. So before deciding if you want to breastfeed your baby, your husband must agree on it as well. How do you make a man understand ? Make him read? Definitely No - No. What I usually do is send him a youtube video with duration less than 10 minutes, or even better less than 5 minutes. Men generally is not a big reader and just unable to focus long on topics they are not interested in. Send him interactive videos and he will at least watch it. How to wash EBM bottles. How to prepare EBM to send to nursery. You cannot expect him to eagerly learn how to do it as much as you do. And you cannot expect him to know how to help you with breastfeeding and breast pumping. You just have to ASK and SHOW how to do it. I actually told my husband what I need him to help me. So his duty is mostly washing the bottles and sterilizing it when we get back home from work and preparing the bottles in the morning to be send to the babysitter (while I am up pumping at 5-5.30am). Instruct him how to fill up the bottle. How many bottle teats to put inside the bag. Be very specific and clear. Instruct each and every step if you need to. Haha. And if you must, you can actually write or print the shelves life of EBM when stored in different places, and paste it on the refrigerator or wherever he can read it. Your husband can also help in feeding the baby when you are cooking, sleeping, or out for spa / haircut / exercising. So, you see what wonders it bring if you breastpump? Haha. Additional points : if your husband can give you a neck and shoulder massage. Because breastfeeding and breastpumping after some times causes pain there.
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| Filling up bottles in the morning |
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| Washing and sterilizing EBM bottles and pumping parts |
So I think this is already long enough. Wish me all the best in reaching 12 months of breastfeeding Yusuf, and hopefully by that time I can share more of my journey okay? Till then. Assalamualaikum =)
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