Breastfeeeding Update

Okay now I'm officially decreasing my pumping schedule. Makes me sad to remember my bonding moment with X.E.. I'm down with twice a day - one before going to work and another one before going to sleep. I'm still getting 5oz. each time though. Xavier is turning 8 months and I think I will stop breastfeeding him by them. It's hard when you're working and can't keep up with your baby's appetite! The time needed for pumping every 2-3 hours daily seems impossible to sustain for me - plus since he started on solids it's harder to have him latch on me. Sigh.

Oh well, gonna keep all my BF gadgets for the next baby then. 

Breastfeed Anywhere... Anytime!

So happy with my recent purchase at Mommy Mundo Bazaar last weekend ---> a nursing cover from Mom Baby Fabric! Now I can breastfeed Xav anywhere with ease! It has a WIRE from your chest area to open and give your baby the air while nursing. You can't achieve that using a regular shawl. Plus I really love their fabric! A lot of designs to choose from and they're really soft! Baby Xav loves staring at the patterns too! 

At Glorietta 4 Food Choices

Where's Xav?

If you're pregnant, planning on breastfeeding your baby and always on the go, this will surely help you a lot. Especially when you know that not every place you visit will have a Breastfeeding/ Nursing Station. I actually use this when expressing my milk in the office too. 

Remember, get the one with a wire! 

Milk Supply Back to Normal!

I don't know why I didn't read my book (What To Expect: The First Year) about my breastfeeding problem right away. I was thinking so hard what I did differently to have a significant drop of milk supply plus it was also timing that it happened when I went back to work after my ML. I've read in the book that having your period will cause decrease of milk. Few days after the drop, my period came (yes, first one after giving birth) but at least I was reassured that the supply will come back to normal once your hormones become stable. Maybe the separation anxiety also contributed to that, so I also followed what some friends suggested. I printed Xavier's pictures, posted them in my station and had a copy to look at while pumping. 

Let me also share that I bought a Fenugreek supplement (as most friends and books suggested) at GNC for around P1,200.00/ 100 capsules. 

I started taking them just yesterday (twice daily) and ... viola! My milk supply is back to normal! I'm planning on taking them twice daily for this week and will switch to taking them once a day until I finish the bottle. 

I'm sooooo happy!

Help! A sudden drop of milk supply!

I just started working again yesterday and I suddenly had low milk supply! I would normally get 6-8oz. every 2-3 hours but yesterday I only got 3oz. every 3 hours! Crazy!!! Maybe it's because that my baby has been sleeping through the night now. He sleeps up to 6 hours and it makes me not pump every 3 hours. Also, I have been reading factors that contribute to having a low milk supply and it seems that being away from your baby also play a big part. You have to keep your baby close, day and night, and nursing often is the best way to increase your supply. Unfortunately, mummy has to go back to work. My 78 days Maternity Leave is over! 

Now I'm consistently pumping every 2 hours to increase my milk and I started drinking Natalac / Malunggay supplement 3 times a day. I even asked my mom to cook Tinola for me two days in a row now. Hoping for a better result ASAP. If you have any other ideas, please share. Did someone also experienced this problem?

On Feeding Baby Xav

I'm happy to say that right now I'm able to exclusively breastfeed my son. Thank you Lord for the gift of milk! I know all mothers would have wanted to give their babies BM but not everyone is gifted with the abundance of it. I myself went through formula feeding when I was hospitalized a week after giving birth and for me it was a painful experience not to breastfeed my son. Doctors recommended not to breastfeed while on antibiotics and it lasted for 2 weeks. Then after my medication, I started mixing formula (NAN HA) and my BM until I successfully eliminate the formula milk in 2 weeks time.


So now here's my daily routine on feeding my baby. 


During the day, I breastfeed my son, no bottles. I can still do this because I'm still on Maternity Leave. When he cries, I offer my breasts for feeding. Crying, as experts say, is a late sign of hunger. In my case, I always try to wake baby Xav up for feeding every 2 hours but when he sleeps- he REALLY sleeps. Mana talaga kay Daddy nya! So I just wait for him to feel hungry again... and cry. Then when he sleeps longer (like 4 hours), I have an opportunity to express my extra milk (because I express my BM every 2 hours) and keep it for future feedings. I need to store as many BM as I can so when I go back to work my baby will have an ample supply of milk. This is during the day, like 6AM-10PM.


During the night, I feed him with my breasts until he sleeps at around 10-11PM (depends on his schedule and if I'm sleepy already). When he is already asleep I will get a frozen BM out from the freezer and place it inside the bedroom, so in time for his next feeding the expressed BM will be completely thawed and ready for bottle feeding. Sometimes I just place my expressed BM inside the refrigerator and not in the freezer. This is okay too as long as you consume it within 7-8 days. I also make it a habit to smell the BM before feeding Xav to be sure that I'm not giving him spoiled milk.


So during the day he feeds from my breasts then during the wee hours he uses bottles for feeding. For me it's more efficient especially at night because he drinks faster in bottles and comes back to sleeping right away. Then I express my milk while hubby is feeding him in bottle to replace the one we thawed. This gives us only 30mins. (every 2-3 hours) of being awake - that's feeding + expressing BM + burping + changing diaper + putting him back to sleep. Of course this is only possible if your baby doesn't have "nipple confusion".  


I found a site that gives complete info on proper storage and handling of BM. I found it very helpful especially for first time mothers like me!


STORAGE AND HANDLING OF BREASTMILK

In Need of Breast Milk?

I have recently discovered this great page in Facebook where you can ask for breast milk or donate your extra to those infants in need. It's good to know that there are still a lot of people willing to help each other. 

Human Milk 4 Human Babies - The Philippines

Etiquette for Milk Recipients

If you are asking for breastmilk, you must know how difficult it is to express milk and fill up that milk bag you will be receiving.  Breastmilk is made with love and care.  Donor moms also pack their milk with love and care.  For people asking for breastmilk, please read the following guidelines:

1. When you say you will pick-up the milk, please do pick-up the milk.  If you promised to pick-up at a certain date and time, please text or email the donor if you will be late or can't make it.  Do not pick up late at night.  Donors are also mothers with families.  BE SENSITIVE!

2. If you fail to pick up the milk at a certain date, CONTACT the donor first if the milk is still available.  IT IS THE DONOR'S OPTION to give the milk to another recipient if you cannot pick up on the date you stated.

3. AT THE VERY LEAST, please replace the milk bags that the donor gives you.  Milk bags are also purchased by the donor so please replace them so the donor can continue giving milk to other needy babies.

4. Be prepared when you pick up. Bring clean coolers.  Donors prepared their milk with care and do not want the milk to be thrown out because of improper transport.

5. Do not ask the donor to text you if she has more milk.  It is YOUR OBLIGATION to monitor the HM4HB Page if there are more milk offers posted.

Remember, it is not the donor's obligation to give you milk.

At the end of the day, it feels good to know you are able to help other people. Thank God, He made me an instrument to make other people happy and to help those in need. That's one secret why I remained happy in my entire life. :)