“Why don’t you breastfeed your baby? The more the baby sucks, the more milk you will produce. Do you know breast milk can …bla bla bla”. This was me advising my patients (new mothers) before I had a baby of my own and realised what breastfeeding was really all about. Like many new mums I too decided that I would do the right thing and breastfeed my first baby. I was so sure it would work so I prepped up and bought all my baby supplies except baby bottles and formula. I mean there is no reason it shouldn’t work right, after all even twins are breastfed successfully.
Finally the big day came. After 2 days in labour, I had to undergo an emergency caesarian section for poor progress in labour. I thought the hard part was over. The nurses brought my baby to me and she started sucking very well immediately…I was elated. For the first few days, she spent most of the day sleeping and got full quite quickly too...another sign it was working. On the day of discharge, my doctor adviced me that I would only start producing sufficient breast milk in about 10 days and babies are born with enough energy store for about 2 weeks. One thing she said I should have not taken lightly was “your angel is going to turn into a tigress once she goes home” and boy was she right.
Day 4 of surgery I was discharged and that’s when my world turned into a living hell. My little angel had become somebody I didn’t recognize, a tigress that is. She was hungry all the time and thus crying all the time too. I diligently continued my breastfeeding and didn’t give up. She would wake up hourly every night and not sleep despite me feeding her continuously. There were nights when I would wake up my husband and say “now you breastfeed her…get a cow if you have too”. My mother who was with me kept nagging me too, ”Why are you torturing yourself, why are you having breakfast at 4pm, why are you starving the baby, why don’t you just get some formula?”
Despite all this I didn’t give up and waited for the 10th day to come. I even bought an expensive breast pump and pumped daily thinking if would trick my body into producing more milk. The pain it caused I tolerated patiently. After all it was for my baby. I also read up all about breastfeeding do and don’ts. I avoided DOM (alcohol taken by post-partum women) and didn’t consume any kind of food that may have adverse effects on my baby via breast milk transfer.
Day 10 came but things didn’t change. I was a walking zombie and I think my baby could fell my tension as she was crying all the time too. Our next follow-up revealed that my baby had not gained any weight. The doctor advised us to supplement with formula if needed and ask me to take it easy. How was I suppose to do that? Because it was regarding her weight gain, I gave in (a little) and decided to get some formula. By the way that made things worst. What formula to buy and which was the best for newborns? Just deciding on a brand took us a week. Enfalac gave her severe constipation, S-26 gave her a lot of wind and Snow didn’t taste nice enough for her. I had almost full formula tins all over my kitchen and nothing agreed with my baby. So back to square one. I started asking breastfeeding mothers I knew how did the manage with their babies? They suggested eating raw papaya soup and fenugreek seeds. One said to drink guiness malt. I tried them all but still no luck. I drank 3 litres of water and 1 litre of milk everyday, breastfed after a warm bath, and ate the seeds twice a day (for double effect). A few moms even told me that milk flow only gets sufficient after 3-4 weeks. I was a bit relieved to hear that and continued waiting ...again.
Finally it all paid off 5 weeks after she was born. I started having more milk. How did I know that? She would get full faster and fall asleep….quite peacefully. I gave up on the pump as I found it easier to feed directly. Another thing that made me really proud of my effort was my baby doubled her birth weight at 2 months. Now that I am more relaxed, I continue feeding on demand and take a herbal tea to help increase milk production, which tastes better than the raw seeds. My baby refuses any artificial teat given to her and finally I had to give all the formula milk away (happily). I have not gone out in almost 3 months now and long for a day at the spa and hair saloon. All our house errands are done by my husband. Despite that I still think it is all worth it.
Despite all this I didn’t give up and waited for the 10th day to come. I even bought an expensive breast pump and pumped daily thinking if would trick my body into producing more milk. The pain it caused I tolerated patiently. After all it was for my baby. I also read up all about breastfeeding do and don’ts. I avoided DOM (alcohol taken by post-partum women) and didn’t consume any kind of food that may have adverse effects on my baby via breast milk transfer.
Day 10 came but things didn’t change. I was a walking zombie and I think my baby could fell my tension as she was crying all the time too. Our next follow-up revealed that my baby had not gained any weight. The doctor advised us to supplement with formula if needed and ask me to take it easy. How was I suppose to do that? Because it was regarding her weight gain, I gave in (a little) and decided to get some formula. By the way that made things worst. What formula to buy and which was the best for newborns? Just deciding on a brand took us a week. Enfalac gave her severe constipation, S-26 gave her a lot of wind and Snow didn’t taste nice enough for her. I had almost full formula tins all over my kitchen and nothing agreed with my baby. So back to square one. I started asking breastfeeding mothers I knew how did the manage with their babies? They suggested eating raw papaya soup and fenugreek seeds. One said to drink guiness malt. I tried them all but still no luck. I drank 3 litres of water and 1 litre of milk everyday, breastfed after a warm bath, and ate the seeds twice a day (for double effect). A few moms even told me that milk flow only gets sufficient after 3-4 weeks. I was a bit relieved to hear that and continued waiting ...again.
Finally it all paid off 5 weeks after she was born. I started having more milk. How did I know that? She would get full faster and fall asleep….quite peacefully. I gave up on the pump as I found it easier to feed directly. Another thing that made me really proud of my effort was my baby doubled her birth weight at 2 months. Now that I am more relaxed, I continue feeding on demand and take a herbal tea to help increase milk production, which tastes better than the raw seeds. My baby refuses any artificial teat given to her and finally I had to give all the formula milk away (happily). I have not gone out in almost 3 months now and long for a day at the spa and hair saloon. All our house errands are done by my husband. Despite that I still think it is all worth it.
In conclusion, all I can say is, NEVER GIVE UP. It is definitely not an easy task and with only 2 months of maternity leave, not all moms can do it. By the time they succeed, they are back to work. Nevertheless, keep trying and always remember that it does get easier with time.
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