I make milk, what's your super power???

August is Breastfeeding Month!

In celebration of breastfeeding month, I've been itching to share my personal experience on being a BF mama - the pains, the gains and all the other wonderful stuffs in between.

When I got pregnant with Leia, two of the things I promised myself among others were that I was going to give birth through Normal Spontaneous Delivery and that I would breastfeed my baby. Unfortunately, I delivered Leia through C-section because the umbilical cord was coiled around her neck so there was no choice but to cut me open (ooppss.. sorry for the gorey detail). But I was successful on the second promise - I exclusively breasfed Leia from birth until she was 5 months, then I had to resort to mixed feeding on her sixth month because I couldn't cope with her milk demand. Flash forward 2 years later, I still comfort feed her but only when I have to pacify her or I need to put her to sleep as fast as I can or  when I just feel like I want to spend more time with her. Breasfeeding definitely did a lot of good for both of us that I vowed to be a lactivist in my own little way.

Soon-to-be moms or future mamas out there for sure is contemplating on the idea whether to breastfeed or bottle-feed their little ones. The first unsolicited advice I would give you is what your mind conceives, your body can achieve (from the TV ad of a multivitamin). I've always believed that our bodies can be preconditioned by our mind. For as long as you entertain the thought of breastfeeding, Mother Nature will do her job of preparing our melons (or lemons in my case hehehe) for when we have given birth to our angels. For the entire nine months, I tried to have soup (sabaw) on a daily basis. Mum was particularly helpful that I told her one day to take things a little easy because I was near drowning from all the soup she wanted me to drink. The olds swear that taking soup actually helps your mammary glands to produce milk. Name it, most likely I've sipped it - tinola, law-oy (soup with A LOT of vegetables), soup with fish, soup with clams, sinigang na anything, soup with soup and even sinabawang sabaw. I also had to eat a lot of malunggay cooked every possible way; one relative even offered to plant malunggay in our front yard! In her morning quiet time, Mum would pray-over my swollen tummy including my breasts that they would produce enough milk for Leia. Preparation is everything!

The morning after my delivery, still groggy and the anesthesia hasn't worn off (I had to be wheeled to the nursery because I didn't have control of my legs), we went to the nursery so I can start breastfeeding my daughter. It was also the first time I laid my eyes on her but that's for another blog entry. There was a nursing room inside the nursery and I carried Leia to sit beside other moms. I offered Leia my right nipple but she would not suck! I was worried that I had to call one of the nurses to ask for help. She very kindly "tickled" Leia's cheek to mimic a nipple and after a few minutes - VOILA! I was breastfeeding the heir to my stilletos!!! Next advice - be brave and give it a shot, if at first you fail, call the nurse for help!

Not to discourage you but there were birth pains, no I don't mean when you actually give birth because I never felt pain (I was under anesthesia due to CS), but when we came home from the hospital, feeding Leia made my nipples hurt. I'm not sure if it was improper latching or she was just a voracious feeder. Good thing I invested on buying Lansinoh Nipple Cream online which is really God's gift to breastfeeding moms! Honestly, it does not come cheap i almost changed my mind. I reprimanded myself that if I can splurge on shoes how much more for my baby? When i would hear Leia cry, I would feel scared because it meant my sore nipples would get a beating again from my little one. No pain, no gain! I pressed on until maybe after two weeks, the pain was gone or maybe I had just become immune to the discomfort (joke!). Seriously though, I think I had improper latching hence the sore nips. No need to be afraid ladies, if you survived giving birth, breastfeeding is a piece of cake. I still had to drink soup along with breasfeeding supplements (available in major drugstores) to improve my milk supply.

Leia is now two years old - healthy and happy. She has never been hospitalized (thank God!), no allergies, has not gotten sick except for common cough and colds and most importantly, I feel that there is this warm bonding and emotional relationship between us. Really, the benefits are endless. My decision to breastfeed Leia has been personally rewarding in my journey as an Ina-Tay that I want to encourage moms out there to try it before saying no. I know most if not all mothers would want to give this gift to their kids but unfortunately, due to a lot of valid reasons, some mommies cannot breastfeed. It does not make you less of a mother but just make sure you have tried every possible means before giving up.

Here's to all BF-ing moms out there and to their little ones! Happy Breastfeeding Month!

With pride and confidence let me ask you - I make milk, what's your super power??? 

Leia on her first flower girl appearance :)