I knew into my mind that I’m going to breastfeed right after my pregnancy. The simple thing I knew about breastfeeding is that a baby sucks his mother’s nipple for milk every time he gets hungry and the yellowish thingy for the first days was very important for the baby’s health. That’s it. But then, after reading over the internet about breastfeeding, I noticed that it’s not a simple thing but rather a complex art.
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I lived in a family of seven kids. All of us are breastfed children. I was breastfed for 7 months and I am thankful to that. My husband was not, he’s a formula-given child and so his brother too. My mother always tells me when I was pregnant that I should breastfeed and formula will be given if intended to do so.
While I was at the hospital, Matt took in formula, S26. It is a hospital procedure, and I, eager to breastfeed went immediately to the nursery room to feed my baby but then nurses refused to because baby should stay in there for 24 hours to prepare for Newborn screening. My sister, who is studying Nursing, explained to me that it is DOH procedure to breastfeed baby right after delivery, few seconds. What a hospital policy though. I breastfed when I got home, and that was 2nd day.
Engorged breasts, from cup B, my girls turned to cup D. I feel heavy on my chest, and I can’t breathe easily. Painful, but when Matt sucked my nipple, looking at him was heaven. At first, I thought everything will run smoothly. But it’s not, I experienced a lot.
Leaking breasts. Very uncomfortable, the only remedy I took was using towels. That time, I didn’t know of breast pads-washable and disposable. Every time I feed, my breasts leaked, and I need to place towel on both of my breasts. While I was taking a bath, I need to use cups under my breasts. I got sticky bras and wet shirts. Until one of my friends introduced to me breast pads, washable, which I purchased at SM Department stores; and disposable breast pads from Pigeon, a gift from my Aunt. Now, leaking breasts are not a hassle anymore.
Crack, Sore Nipples. Ultimately painful. There were times that I called my baby, little bampira. This is because of the blood on my cracked nipple left on his mouth after I breastfed him. My nipples are cracked, sored, and damaged to death. There were nights that I dreamt of having one nipple at all and the one is already gone, damaged through feeding. I even cried to death so what I did is not to feed Matt on that breast and all I did was pray. But because I had no choice, (my other breast was getting bigger than the other, and very painful) I need to feed from that breast and swallow the vigorous pain. Upon searching the net, I found out that lanolin is my aid and so, Mi’Ann of Babymama too. I learned that correct latch was the key, and frequent feedings from the sore nipple is the answer to that problem.
Currently, I’m on my fifth month of exclusively breastfeeding my child. And, I am looking forward to a longer, joyous breastfeeding world. With that, I truly can say that breastfeeding is a rewarding experience, not only to me but also to my family, and to all humankind.
:-D
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