Breastfeeding Part 19

[exquisitegem]

I exclusively breastfed my baby for 9 mos. After that, mixed feeding na kami up to now that she's 14 mos old. Pag nasa office ako, formula milk siya and pag nasa bahay and on weekends, direct latching na kami. It's true na sa Breastfeeding Pinay na fb group, ang daming nagmomomshame dun as if it makes you a less of a mother kapag nagformula ka. I hope na ipulis ng admin yung mga ganung post kasi nakakadegrade.

[FayeP]

^sis oo may mga ganun ngang instance, maski dun sa tamang kain pag time na kumain ng bagets...kaya ako pinipili ko lang din mga pinapakinggan ko or nirereplyan ko dun...basta sa tingin kong healthy at di nagkakasakit ang anak ko, ay ok na sakin yun ke mixfeed or exclusive.

[twelvth_goddess]

Buti na lang hinde ako nagjo join sa mga ganyang groups. Maiksi pa naman patience ko.

[thatgurla]

I agree sa comments about BF Pinay group. EBF ako pero pag nakikita ko replies sa group lalo ng mga admins sa concerns about breastfeeding... nalulungkot ako. Nakukulangan ako sa simpathy. Maipilit lang yung advocacy nila. Formula o breastmilk or mixfeed pa yan, FED is BEST.

[dinagztm]

Yan din observation ko sa breastfeeding pinays group. Kala ko masyado lang akong sensitive. Hehe. Kaya I stopped following them na. Kapag may mga friends akong nanghihingi ng advice, sabi ko join sila dun pero basahin na lang yung FAQs at mga principles. Na breastfed ko si baby for 16 months, at naniniwala ako na breastfeeding is best feeding, pero case to case basis din talaga. I cannot blame mommies na nagfoformula, alam ko hindi naman sila maghahangad ng hindi best para sa babies nila.

[winkar22]

^ True @dinagztm! Nakaka-gaan ng feeling na may other moms that have the same sentiments as me. Hehe!

[thatkdramaeonni]

Here are some of my experiences about breastfeeding:

1. HINDI SIYA MADALI. Akala ko nung preggy ako chill lang kapag nagbreastfeed. But NOOOO. I was super mistaken. Mahirap sya. Super sakit sa una. May point na natatakot ako tuwing magigising si baby to feed kasi masasaktan nanaman ako.

BIG YES! hehe ako ata yan ang biggest realization ko talaga. HINDI MADALI MAGPABREASTFEED.
Before pregnancy, akala ko pag nagbuntis ka, nanganak automatic dedede sayo yung baby (shempre anak mo yun eh!) at automatic din may gatas ang nanay. boy, was i majorly mistaken!

Sharing my BF journey too..

Exclusively feeding my baby breastmilk for 7months and counting, and super gapang talaga ang supply. Target ko lang naman is the bare minimum, 6 months. After that, ok na ko magmixfeeding. Sabi din ni pedia, kahit din daw 6months na pure bm, kasi by 6 months, start na sya magsolids so may additional source na ng nutrients.

First 3 months, malakas sya na agos nang agos. kaso wala naman ako time magpump nun kasi kami lang ni hubby nag aalaga, at pumapasok na sya sa office. Nung nagstart na ko magpump (hindi regularly kasi minsan right in the middle of pumping, gigising si baby), dun ko napansin nagdwindle down yung supply. More like, hindi consistent. Minsan malakas tapos hihina. Lalo nung bumalik ako sa work. 8oz to 6oz to 3oz to one time, halos 1oz lang napupump ko for an hour at dugo na lumalabas. Literal na blood sweat and tears. And yes din sa nakakadrain, emotionally, physically, mentally. The inconsistent supply also added to my severe baby blues, the feeling na hindi enough yung nadedede ni baby, kasi di sya tumataba. Tapos yung katawan ko parang di ko na katawan, identified nalang ako na "dede ni baby". Sya nagdidictate kung kelan ako kakain, maliligo, matutulog, ano dapat ko kainin, kelan ako pwede lumabas etc. Mommies on social media are not helping my self-esteem too (Hello, mareng Marian! Ikaw na ang pinagpala! lol)

5th month ni baby ko naranasan yung super low supply (1oz per pump). I asked my pedia, who's a lactation/bf advocate, kung ano pwede fm pangbackup in case hindi na ko makapagproduce. Of course, BF advocate sya so I kinda expected na hindi sya magbibigay at ipupush nya lang ako magpadede. Though she told me na kung kulangin talaga ako, text ko lang daw sya and she'll give me a few bm bags para maitawid yung 6th month ni baby. Sayang naman daw kasi 1 month nalang, para daw mahinog yung gut ni baby. Plus she also gave me a couple of M2 malunggay drink pamboost. Naappreciate ko si pedia kasi 3 days before mag6months ni baby, umatake na naman si low supply. Kaya lang she was out of town for a seminar, kaya she referred me to her friend na nagdodonate din ng bm. She lives near my workplace kya nadaanan ko before umuwi.

Enougher lang ako, meaning I just pump out enough milk to last my baby while I'm away at work. I pump twice a day: pagkagising habang di pa gising si baby (since baby can sleep thru the night na without waking up to feed sa madaling araw, naiipon milk ko) and once sa work ko (I work shortened periods kasi pinakiusap ko sa boss ko yung sked na yun, at parang kalabisan naman na to ask for a 40min lactation break, though nasa batas yun guys! . I read na dapat every 3-4hrs dapat nagpupump para maregulate ang milk supply but I could not really afford the time to do that, kasi shempre may chores pa sa bahay. Kaya din siguro incosistent supply ko. At ang nakakainis pa eh di naman kalakasan supply ko, nagkakaclogged milk ducts pa ko. huhu. Matapos ko paghirapang palakasin kahit pano yung milk ko by taking supplements and treats, biglang need ko itigil para matanggal ang clog. I tried all kinds of pampagatas! M2, Milo, oatmeal, mother nurture, lactablend, malunggay capsules, malunggay pandesal, lactation spreads, malunggay/lactation cookies, malunggay powder in every ulam, sinigang/nilaga every lunch sa office, lots of water. All these, to keep my output at 6oz per pump (12oz a day). Enough naman to for my baby. Saka nagsosolids na rin naman sya. May nakaready na din ako small can ng formula, just in case. Pinakamalakas ko na lately was 7oz (morning pump), my usual is 5-6oz. Then clogged ducts happen. 2 days akong engorged, tapos namumula yung parts na may solid milk. Despite unlitach and hot compress same pa rin so pedia suggested sunflower lecithin, kaso nakakathin ito ng milk. Natanggal naman after 3 days yung clogged milk sa left boobie, so ngayon need ko na naman palakasin supply ko. Sa 7 months, naka 4 times ata ako na clogged duct, 4 beses na rin yung cycle na yan.

Mahalaga din ang support ng family sa pagpapaBF. Nung una, lagi sinasabi ni MIL na hindi daw tumataba si baby sa milk ko, subtly implying na magformula na ko. Pero we insisted na hindi naman ibig sabihin na mataba, healthy na. Naiiyak ako nun pag sinasabi nilang hindi tumataba baby ko sa bm. Buti nalang, around 2.5 months ni baby, naggain sya bigla ng 1 kilo. Naconvince lang si MIL dito at sa fact na hindi nagkakasakit si baby. Pero thankful pa din ako sa inlaws ko, kasi di naman nila pinilit gusto nila hehe, sa kanila kasi naiiwan si baby pag nasa work ako and talagang tyinatyaga din nila arain yung BM guidelines.  Kudos din sa asawa ko: pag nasa bahay sya he lets me pump by taking our baby. Lahat ng pumping essentials ko, sya ang bumili, wala akong narinig na namamahalan sya or what. He just wants the best for our baby at para maging comfortable din ang BF experience ko. pag naiiwan ko sa bahay ang pump ko, hinahatid nya sa office ko. Special mention din sa Birth Club Mommies (2019 2Q Babies thread dito) kasi as a first time mom, marami ako napulot na tips sa ibang mommies dun saka laking tulong din ng may support group ka talaga. Iba yung boost na naibibigay ng mga kasabayan mo sa journey.

Sa ngayon, inuubos ko nalang mga malunggay coffee ko at capsules, pag naubos na, kung ano nalang output ko, yun na. Magmix feed na talaga kami. Nakakadrain na din kasi saka same din ang gastos ko sa mga supplements at bm bags hehe. Though di naman ako naghihinayang sa gastos kasi masarap naman, saka kahit paano eh nakatulong naman mamaintain ang supply ko. Hehe saka nameet ko na yung target ko na 6 months, happy na ko dun. Our new goal is magtamang kain naman, until mag one year old si baby.

Lahat ng nanay, gusto yung makakabuti sa anak nila. Kaya sobrang nafifeel  ko yung mga nanay na wala talagang lumalabas na milk sa kanila or in trying to produce milk, affected na sila mentally. So sana stop the momshaming kung nakaformula man ang baby. May nagsasabi na hindi raw totoo yung walang milk ang nanay, but I know some close friends na dugo na talaga lumabas sa kanila at patak patak lang ng milk ang nakukuha, no matter how hard they try. Kaya I believe talaga na FED IS BEST. Whether formula or breastmilk, ang importante is hindi nagugutom ang baby at hindi nacocompromise ang nanay, emotionally at mentally.

[twelvth_goddess]

I just gave birth via CS on Sunday and I've been breastfeeding my son since. Today, nagulat ako sa laki ng boobs ko, ang dami nang milk. My challenge lang now is that I have sore nipples, sobrang sakit pag naka latch si baby for the first few minutes. Tama naman latch nya pero kase yung first 2 days nya, wala pa masyadong milk kaya pinanggigigilan nya.

[misbelled]

Bumping up this topic bec I think it's worth continuing the support for padede moms. Sharing my journey so far...

Gave birth last Nov to a baby girl with the idea na BF talaga ako. I attended seminars in TMC and with the Pinay Doulas Collective to prepare for our baby and learn about BF. For 2 weeks, super sakit ng nipples ko kasi kahit tama yung latch ni baby (accdg to the pedia and the midwives who checked up on me), ang hapdi pa rin. Siguro dahil unlilatch kami. Supportive si husband except nung nakikita na niya akong nag wince in pain, sabi niya FM ko na siya. Pero nalagpasan ko yun. The next time my resolve wavered was when my mom said hindi siya lumalaki, nung nakita niya uli sa 2nd month ni baby. Sabi ko, ganyan talaga ang BF babies. Hindi mataba pero hindi sakitin. The 3rd time I felt bad was when our pedia checked her and said she was underweight by 100 grams. Alam kong hindi siya totally BF advocate. Nagsulat pa siya ng list ng FM brands in case daw. Ang sa kanya, pwedeng hindi or pwedeng mag vitamins si baby. Still, ayokong mag-give up sa exclusive BF. When I returned to work, I was prepared to pump. Unfortunately, my stash ran out wala pang 2 weeks. Akala ko makakapump ako ng enough for the next day. Hindi ko na-expect na kukulangin yung stash ko sa 1.5oz per hour feeding. Yun pala, naubos na rin sa kaka-practice naming ni yaya sa cup feeding. I practiced leaving baby with her also para masanay sa kanya. Ayun, napagalitan pa ako ng boss ko kasi nagsabi akong work from home so soon after ML. Thankfully, I found a SAHM who donated her excess BM stash because her baby preferred direct latch. Baby is now in her 3rd month and I'm still pumping at work. Kailangan kong i-increase ang production ko kasi kulang pa rin kung "enougher." Nag M2 drink, Mother Nurture, Mega Malunggay, malunggay flakes, more water and lactation spreads na ako. I nurse baby before I leave for work then nakaka 4 pumping sessions ako at work. 4oz lang ang total ko per session. 15 hours di akong away from baby. Sidelying kami ni baby pagdating ko but I have to learn to time my midnight sessions. Nagigising si baby o naka latch siya kaya ang hirap makaalis sa tabi niya. Twice na akong nagpalactation massage para lang maiwasan ang clogged ducts. I'm praying I can last until 1 year. I have a long way to go so I'm seeking support from other moms. I even put up a FB group for moms like me at work.

My short term goal is to ensure my baby's weight gain is better at our next pedia visit. Praying...   

[winkar22]

Don't mind them saying na payat si baby. Ang importante hindi nagkakasakit.

Also, don't stress yourself too much din cause it affects the supply daw. Though in my case kahit anong relax and kainin/inumin ko, hindi dumami ang supply ko. I was even depressed on one point. Lagi ako umiiyak kasi I felt less of a mom dahil hindi ko ma-exclusively breastfeed ang baby ko.

Just remember, fed is best. Kahit ano pa yan.

[hermione28]

Gave birth last January vis ECS, 33 weeks. My baby was in the NICU (neonatal ICU) for 25 days so from day 1, I had to pump already so the nurses can give it to her.

Exclusive Breastmilk si baby but we have a technique of adding formula sa breastmilk ko then bottlefeed sya (instructed by her pedia). Even while she?s in the NICU they are adding fortifier sa milk ko to add calories and help her gain weight.

She?s 2 months now and mix kame ng breastfeed and bottlefeed ng BM ko.
Kaso I think I reached the point that I am already ?over supply?, I pump every 3 hours and pag direct latch nahihirapan si baby kasi grabe letdown ko sumisirit talaga and 2 times na din ako nagka milk clogged 1 time on each breast. Tapos mga sis napapagod na ko mag pump, as in pagod na pagod na ko.

Now plano ko sana direct latch nalang wag na bottle feed, ibig sabihin hindi makakapag add ng formula (calories) sa milk ko. But I think am also having foremilk and hindmilk imbalance. Kapag direct latch hindi umaabot si baby sa hindmilk, foremilk palang busog na sya and 1 breast lang. I tried it for a week kaso hindi masyado nag gagain si baby, 10-20 grams lang per day, unlike pag may halong formula yung breastmilk ko she?s gaining 50-80 grams per day. And since she?s a preemie ng halos 2 months ang laki ng weight na hinahabol namen. Mataba naman si baby pero sa overall weight kulang talaga for her age.

Now I am trying to suppress my supply but from what I read here na pwede pa pala mag low supply by 5th-6th month natakot naman ako mag under supply.

I?m really confused what to do.

[det060403]

^i had the same issue with both my daugthers when they were younger, nagkanda sukasuka na sa oversupply. What i did naghahand express muna ako before feeding them para mabawasan ang let down, tiyagaan sa hand express hindi pump kasi pumping will make you produce more milk. Hindi ko din sinunod yung lipat ng breast after mins of feeding sa isang breast para umabot siya sa hindmilk. Naexperience ko din yung clogged ducts,i did warm compress and continue ko lang feeding sa breast while massaging the breast, masakit lang talaga pero tiis lang para lang mawala. I did the lettuce thing too (im not 100% sure kung totoo yun) pero i did it for a few minutes lang kasi sabi pwede maglow supply.

[hermione28]

Oo sis ginagawa ko din yung hand express muna bago ko ipadede pero sobrang lakas pa din ng sirit, nagii-iyak na si baby, naaawa ako.

Grabe sobrang hirap magpa breastfeed.

[det060403]

Try mo yung cabbage leaf patch (Hindi pala lettuce hehe) 20 minutes daw yun, Pero ako siguro mga 10 minutes lang ginawa ko kasi na takot naman ako malow supply. Hindi ko alam anong rationale nun Pero I think it somehow worked din for me. hehe

[twelvth_goddess]

How did you train your breastfed babies to drink from the bottle? My son is exclusively breastfed pero we've been trying to get him to drink BM from the bottle for the past 2 weeks pero ayaw nya Done na kase maternity leave ko and though I will be working from home because of the ECQ, he will need to learn eventually. Sa daughter ko kase non, days old pa lang nasanay na sya sa bottle and direct latch kaya hinde ko naging problem.

[schizo_me]

^ Hi Sis, based sa nabasa ko, dapat si husband or yung nagaalaga ang mag bottle feed kay baby.

[winkar22]

@twelvth_goddess... maybe try cup feeding? May mga videos on how to. Another thing you can try is to change yung nipple ng bottle. What are you using ba? Sakin nahiyang si baby sa tommee tipee. Others I've read naman and most recommended is yung pigeon peristaltic

[twelvth_goddess]

^^Sis, si hubby nagbibigay pero ayaw pa din.  I even leave the room.

^We're using wideneck Dr Brown's and Avent. Gusto ko nga sana try Comotomo kaso wala mabilhan ngayon because of the ECQ.

To make this worse, ang sakit ng left breast ko. May lump and may sugat nipple. Eto pa naman yung breast ko na gusto ng baby ko. Yung right breast kase super lakas ng milk and nalulunod sya kaya ayaw nya don madalas. Grabe now ko lang na experience mga to kase sa daughter ko, seamless breastfeeding journey ko for 2 years.

[ninsky01]

I'm a proud padede mom here. Pure breastfeeding sa aking bunso ko. She's 1 yo and 2 months na. Very active and walking na. For new moms, I recommend you to read this article from Makati Med's blog - Breastfeeding: How to Do It Right and Reap the Benefits  

[det060403]

Anyone here na nakapansin na nagtatae si lo (breastfed) tuwing magkakaperiod si mommy?  Parang 3x na ata kasi na tuwing magkakadiarrhea si lo after few days magkakaron ako. Im not sure kung related yung breastfeeding sa bowelmovement niya sa hormones or period ko. Nacurious lang ako and kung normal lang kaya siya. Thanks