My Breastfeeding Experience

I attended several classes on breastfeeding, learned all about the wonders and advantages of it, even memorized all the techniques and we had a solid plan-  TO PURELY BREASTFEED OUR BABY.


From the Delivery Suite they had him latch on my breasts already. They call it "Birth Crawl", he didn't crawl over me because I had a C-Section but he sure latched on me with the help of the nurses. Even when I was in the Recovery Room, they brought baby to me every hour to have him latch on my breasts.


No, there was no milk. None yet.


I wasn't bothered by that. I learned about it, it'll be the colostrum first then the milk. That I know for sure. What I didn't know was that IT IS PAINFUL AT FIRST. What we learned from all the breastfeeding classes were "It shouldn't be painful."and "If it is painful, you have to correct the latching.". Mind you, I was doing everything right! I even asked all mid-wives and nurses who dropped by our room to have them check my latching. They all said it's right. So I was asking the question: "If I'm doing it right, WHY IS IT PAINFUL?"


It was grueling for me since I'm coping up with my incision and I have a very low pain tolerance. I called a bunch of friends who went through breastfeeding and they all shared the same experience. Yes, it'll be painful at first. You may even have sore and bleeding nipples. So there I was enlightened by the fact that what I'm experiencing was quite normal. I didn't give up. I may have cried a lot but I didn't give up.What was actually more painful for me was to see my baby cry because "I thought"  he was so hungry and I had no milk yet. Four days in the hospital and trying to breastfeed with no physical milk seen. I had the baby latch on me every time he cries for hunger - which was almost every hour at one point. My husband was very very supportive. He saw me in pain but he wanted to reinforce breastfeeding too for our baby. 


On our last night in the hospital, I gave in to my baby's crying and apparently my husband also gave in to my crying! We finally bought a formula milk. We bought NAN HA ONE just to supplement my breastfeeding. I offered my breasts during the day and at night the mid-wife we hired were giving the formula milk to baby Xav. It was also good because we got to sleep and rest for a little while. My plan was still to wait for my milk and eventually win my baby over formula milk. 


It's true! MILK COMES TO THOSE WHO WAIT! On the day we were discharged (5th day), my milk came! I was able to get 1oz. of my breast milk from a manual pump my mom-in-law bought. We were very very happy. We decided to go buy an electric pump right away. Yes, that's right. Straight from the hospital we went to Medela House Philippines at 1st Street, New Manila, San Juan. 


This is what we bought: Medela Freestyle Breast Pump

Medela Freestyle Breast Pump- Php 22,000

I was really surprised when we tested it and was able to get more milk in less than 5 minutes! It's perfect for me because it's so handy too, very ideal for traveling. It comes with a lot of freebies too! I also got a hands-free bra for mobility when pumping and a Calma nipple. 

Medela Hands-Free Kit

Medela Calma

It was a good idea to buy the Calma nipple because after 3 days of being discharged from the hospital, I was re-admitted because of my inflamed gall bladder and anemia. I was confined again for another 4 days thus leaving my baby at home. I cried everyday I was in the hospital because I can't help think about baby Xav. I was not able to breastfeed him and doctors said I should hold breastfeeding until I finish all my medications. We had no choice but continue giving Xav formula milk. It lasted for 2 weeks. I was so concerned about getting him back to breast milk after two weeks of bottle-feeding. With the help of Calma's technology, I was able to switch back to breastfeeding right after I finished my antibiotics. It was not as hard as I expected. He latched perfectly to my surprise. 


Now I'm back to breastfeeding, producing more milk and no pain when feeding. It was a lot of work with my baby to be able to achieve success in breastfeeding. So if you're planning to purely breastfeed your child, be patient. 


Here's what I learned based on my breastfeeding experience:


1. Milk usually comes 4 - 7 days after delivery.
2. Offer your breasts to your baby right after delivery. Even if there's no milk yet.
3. Breastfeed on both breasts consistently every 2 hours, again- even if there's no physical milk yet. You have to work on demand and supply. 
4. Be prepared for nipple soreness and even bleeding. Buy Lanolin to soothe your dry nipples. It's safe for baby too.
5. Put hot compress and massage your breasts before or after feeding.
6. Research and learn about different latching positions to help you be comfortable when feeding.
7. Relax, don't stress yourself and believe that there will be milk. It's impossible not to have milk after giving birth.