** Disclaimer – Not seeking or giving medical advice. This blog is about my personal journey and learnings along the way. If this could be a triggering subject for you, please discontinue reading.
Moments after my baby was born, he was put on my chest for skin-to-skin, and a few Lactation consultants (LC) walked into the labor room to assist us with the first breastfeeding session as per my birth plan. I was nervous!
As my due date was nearing, I remember there was a severe formula shortage in the US. I was concerned about whether I would start producing milk or whether my baby would have oral ties. But I was relieved when I saw little drops of yellow colostrum. Next, when the LC said, “the baby has good suction,” I was ecstatic.
But my joy and ecstasy lasted less than 48hrs. Ever since I have had a constant love-hate relationship with breastfeeding. While it has been the most magical experience, it has also been the most excruciating. There were days when it filled me with nothing but delight and days when I would want to scream into a pillow.
I’m not referring to the initial experience and the questions that arise as a result, such as, Am I doing this right? Is that how it’s intended to look? Should it feel this way, or not? Am I holding correctly?
Neither am I referring to cluster feeding. Sleepless nights are challenging, particularly after the body has experienced the stress of childbirth. In fact, I genuinely loved nursing my child. This seemed to be the easy part, the most pleasurable and happy part. I enjoyed the bond! Postpartum recovery and latching problems, were severe, both to the mind and body.
I had no supply issues thanks to mommy dearest’s fantastic postpartum diet, which she had rigorously conjured with love.
Starting on day 3 of birth, my baby would cry his lungs out when I tried to nurse him. A Nipple shield seemed to help a little amount, but the latching problem we were having persisted. I tried different feeding positions, and pillows, to pump before latching in case of a strong letdown, all in vain. We couldn’t fully understand the cause of his distress and were quickly running out of ideas.
As parents, we always want to do what is best for our children. And this entails putting aside your own preferences in favor of what is best for the child. I wanted to exclusively breastfeed, but as a result of the issue we had, my baby started to lose weight beyond the allowable mark.
After several frivolous attempts at breastfeeding, I changed my mindset to focus on alternate ways to keep him fed. So I resorted to the next best option: to pump and bottle feed the expressed milk. Fortunately, we had purchased baby bottles, sterilizers, Bottle cleaner, and Bottle soap in advance and had begun using them. (I used the Spectra pump as recommended by my Ob-GYN)
Once we started on this route, there were multiple problems and obstacles one after the other
- gas/colic – probably because milk was readily available from a bottle, he would gulp down and finish within a few minutes. This caused a lot of gas and colic. Poor baby was in a lot of pain. We gave gas drops and gripe water (after consulting with our pediatrician), but what was a game changer was pace-feeding. A technique to slow down the feeding to mimic breastfeeding.
- quantity – with breastfeeding we never know how much milk the baby is drinking. And with the formula, there is a clear guideline on how much to feed based on age. With EPing, it was slightly hard to get to a number. We found some useful resources online but mostly relied on baby hunger cues and worked with our pediatrician.
- logistics – when feeding a newborn every 2 hours, you need simpler solutions, and idealistic approaches, items that would help reduce your work. Need for products that make your life easier becomes mandatory and these became our MVPs –
A Mini fridge – climbing down the stairs every 2 hours to bring the stored milk was getting hard. This felt like God-sent. Note: This is applicable if the nursery is set up on the upper level.
Bottle warmer – hot water was certainly available when we open the tap, but this meant a lot of water being wasted, and it took a lot of time – 5 mins felt like 5 years with a crying baby.
- time to warm milk – it was impossible to hold a crying baby and wait for the bottle to warm up. Storage bags were a lifesaver. We’d store the approximate quantity of milk he’d drink in a bag and heat it when needed. This was a lot better than trying to heat via a bottle, which would take forever. Medela, Lasinoh, and Twist (although a bit expensive) were some favorites.
I followed a meticulous pumping schedule, at least 4 and up to 7 depending on how many times my baby would successfully latch.
At around 3 months, my supply regulated and I took some supplements to keep it up – A lactation bar, oatmeal snack bites, and lactation tea. The freezer stash I had created came to my rescue. Besides, coconut water helped with hydration and rebalancing of electrolytes. Increased calorie and fat intakes, like a handful of nuts and a tsp of ghee a day. Cashews were especially helpful.
By this time, I felt ready and also started my postpartum fitness journey.
We did not give up on breastfeeding, though. We took breaks, sometimes for a few minutes and sometimes for a couple of days. Gradually, things became much better, and he was willing to take either form.
At around 4 months, just when I thought that we were getting comfortable with breastfeeding, hits teething! Ouch!
Pro tips:
- First, recover. Labor is hard and the body needs those healthy calories and fat.
- Carry a nursing pillow, nipple butter, nipple shield, and heat pack for Engorgement to the hospital.
- Pumping or not, if a Lactation consultant is available, check your flange size.
- Before you go home from the hospital, ask any family members or friends who are helping you with postnatal care to wash the bottles and pump parts.
- Pumps can be purchased via insurance. Many of them ship it 30 days before the due date. Hospitals have pumps you don’t need to carry yours to the hospital.
- To avoid getting overwhelmed by the plethora of new activities that come with having a newborn, have a schedule and stick to it as much as possible (for both mom and dad).
- Use a hands-free Pumping/Nursing bra. Option 1, option 2
- Have at least a couple pairs of flanges for your pump. This will significantly reduce time and the number of trips to wash all the parts
- Stress is detrimental to milk production. Trust your body.
- Be familiar with CDC recommended Milk storage and guidelines.
